New Year - New You - Now Accepting New Challengers

Starting 2016 off On A New Foot 

While I realize Christmas is just a few short days away, it also means that 2016 is nearing in your future as well. Guess what that means... Yep you’re right – time to make some New Years resolutions if your one of those people who make them. Or maybe you set goals for the New Year for yourself? Or maybe you’re just ready for a change after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Let me guess, your thinking about joining a gym? Before you make that decision I think you should consider this opportunity first.

You see I have been there. I thought that joining a gym would help to get me healthy but it turns out as a busy mom finding time to get the the gym was nearly impossible. I later learned that I needed more than just a gym membership to learn to live a healthy lifestyle; I needed a coach. I needed someone to teach me exactly what it would take to live differently and I needed to be surrounded by people who were going thru the same thing. 

My question to you is how much do you want to change? Like a little or a whole hell of a lot. Are you at the point - I call it the tipping point. This is the point where you decide one day you have had ENOUGH. You are sick and tired of feeling the way you do and sick and tired of what you are looking at in the mirror. The moment when you are over how your feeling, that's the moment when you know you are ready and that is the moment what change happens.

I remember my moment - it was the night after my little ones second birthday party. The party had ended I was exhausted. I was laying in our bed beside my sleeping husband and I felt bad about my post baby body. I was sick of being so tired all the time and I was sick of the belly flab my once thin body was carrying around two years after giving birth. I saw my friend advertising about this upcoming 21 day fix program. It was a program that promised up to 15 lbs of weight loss in just 21 days. It was going to teach me about portion control and help me add exercise back into my life. It sounded like a no brainer and I was ready to go all in. My only hesitation was Shakeology. It seemed expensive, I had no prior experience with meal replacements and quite honestly I was terrified I would hate the taste. BUT I wanted to change more than I wanted to stay the same so I decided I was going to go all in even if it was a risk of the unknown. I ordered the next morning. That's the thing about your tipping point. You don't want to wait anymore and quite honestly I didn't even care what it was going to cost me - I wanted a healthier me.

The rest is history and you know that if you follow me on social media you know that simple decision and small investment was one of the best moves I have ever made not just my life but also for my own health as well as my career. I have spent the last year and a half teaching women how to feel good again and how to be confident in whatever body they have been given. You see to me it's not about being skinny, it's about being healthy and leading my life by example so my son knows what healthy looks like. That's what I am here to teach people - simply how to live better. This is a culture that from the outside looking in seems crazy - trust me I was an outsider until I went all in and I am here to tell you it is a culture you want to be part of. Your life will change for the better 100%. 

Don't tell me you can't get your body back after having a baby. If I can do it, anyone can! 

Now, if you are still reading this post it might be a sign you are at your tipping point and it's time to try - seriously what do you have to lose - nothing... NOTHING at ALL!!!!

You see a healthy lifestyle is 80/20. 80% of this is nutrition and 20% is exercise. What I needed was someone to tell me what to do and hold me accountable when I felt like quitting. Starting a new fitness routine is fun but then the excitement wears off and that’s when you really need someone to push you.

That is what I am offering to you. I am offering to push you even when you don’t feel like it. I am willing to teach you how to live differently and I am willing to support you for as long as it takes. You see this lifestyle I am going to show you takes practice and lots of support. Let me be that person for you.

If you are looking for someone to be your biggest fan and help you to start the New Year off on a different foot please fill out the application below. I will be in touch within 24 hours. We start on Monday January 4, 2016. I hope you will consider joining me for something new.

Fill out my online form.

There are tons of Wufoo features to help make your forms awesome.

Chocolate Banana Bread Shakeology

Chocolate Banana Bread Shakeology 

Okay talk about a new favorite! One of my coaches came up with a recipe that was similar to this one, so I decided to modify with what I had at home and it tastes amazing. Give it a try and let me know if you love it too!

Ingredients:
1 scoop of chocolate shakeology
10 oz of water
4 oz of vanilla almond milk
Ice as desired ( I do about 8 oz of ice)
1 ripe banana
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
10 walnuts
1/8 of vanilla extract
1/8 of banana extract
1/3 cup of rolled oats

Directions
Mix water, almond milk, ice together and dump into the blender
Add in other ingredients and blend for 1 minute.
ENJOY!
This one will really fill you up!

Incorporating Coconut Oil Into Your Lifestyle

Incorporating Coconut Oil Into Your Life

The more and more I journey further into my clean eating lifestyle the more I am learning about things I had never thought to use before. Early in the journey I started to use coconut oil in my cooking and also some of my beauty routines. Today I will share with you what I know about it. There is plenty more out there about the benefits of coconut oil but I will share what I myself have learned with you so far.

First I would like to say that I am not a huge fan of coconut flavored things so I was a bit nervous about starting to cook with and leery about what it would do to the flavors of my meals. I can attest that while the flavor is different it is not a bad different and the actual coconut flavor is rather mild and a bit nutty. I really love cooking with it.  My favorite thing to do with it right now is to sauté chicken in it with fresh veggies to make a stir-fry.

Lets talk about why it is good for you -  coconut oil is extracted from the meat of a coconut and is considered a medium-chain saturated fatty acids (MCFAs), which is a "healthy" form saturated fat compared to trans fat. It is easy to digest and your body quickly converts it to energy. Many also say that it has anti-viral, antibacterial, anit-microbial, and anti-fungal properties. It’s been shown that consuming coconut oil is good for overall immunity, reduces hypertension, helps reduce arterial injury, and helps keep proper cholesterol balance.

When going shopping to buy coconut oil you will want to try your best to find unrefined organic coconut oil. Unrefined oil means that the coconut oil is made from fresh raw coconut meat and has not additives or fillers. This type of processing is the most beneficial for your health in comparison to refined, which sometimes uses chemicals to process it and can reduce some of the benefits. Unrefined with also have more of a rich coconut flavor in comparison to refined. Coconut oil will be in a solid form until you start cooking with it and it will then melt. It has a shelf life of about a year but I doubt it will last you that long if you cook with it frequently. I go thru it pretty quick now that I cook with it more often.

From a cosmetic standpoint I have tried a coconut oil hair mask – I just melted about 5 tablespoons of oil in the microwave and applied to my hair when it was dry then wrapped my in plastic wrap and left it for a few hours. It was by no means an attractive look for me during the process but it did end up making my hair softer. I scared my husband when he saw me with my hair all wrapped up. He was laughing at the things women do for beauty regimens. I have also used it as cuticle cream before giving myself a manicure. If you look into it there are MANY other ways to use this magic oil but that is a quick snapshot of how coconut oil is making its way into the Griffith family! Give it a try next time you are out grocery shopping!

Transformation Tuesday

"She Believed She Could So She Did"

When I started coaching in April I sought after friends and co-workers who might be crazy enough to join me on the 21 day fix journey. I loved the change and wanted to show anyone and everyone how great they could feel if they joined me. I made my first official call to action and invited anyone who wanted to join me on the journey and sign up for a challenge group. As one might expect I had many, many “no thank you” messages and many I’ll think about it later replies, some simply ignored my messages and then I had some “YES I AM IN” messages. I started with 12 people who were ready to take a leap of faith and give Beachbody and the 21-day fix a try. As of today I can say that I have been able to help 76 people so far get on track to a better life. To say it has been rewarding would be an understatement, instead I will say it has been life changing. I am a better person because of these people.

Today I want to share with you two transformation stories that are near and dear to my heart. I am proud of all of my challengers but today I want to spotlight two who believed in this with me from the beginning.

I will start with Traci. She is one of my co-workers and teaches health education. We knew each other at work but not very well. I was surprised when she messaged me about possibly being interested in trying the 21- day fix. I suggested we meet over our lunch period and chat about this and see if it might be something she wanted to try. I will be very honest with you; I was very nervous to meet with her, she is a health teacher and I am a business teacher, lets be honest she knows more about nutrition that I did at that point. The meeting went well and I truly believe that she saw this program would work. Traci had the education on how to be healthier and fit she just needed someone to walk her there because life had gotten in the way of her journey. She was worried about having the time for all of this because she was a busy working mom. After many conversations she soon learned that in order to be a better mom you have to become a better version of yourself. Traci had another teacher that joined our group as well who was a partner in crime and truly was her accountability partner and I would say best friend lately. It has been fun to see them hold each other accountable and get towards their goals. The two are now within 5 lbs of the “dream weight” they set out to achieve.

Traci like many of my other challengers is obsessed with Shakeology and has been drinking it regularly since she started this journey on April 14^th. Because of the challenge group she has learned to say no to temptations and keep her goals in mind. She has not fallen off the wagon at all. Not even for a day, in fact she has not taken a rest day since we started this spring. Now that is dedication! She has also went back to running and placed 2^nd in her age group this weekend in the Arts Fest 5k in our town.

Traci started the journey at 144 lbs – She now weights 125 lbs. She has also lost 22 inches overall. She went from a size 12 to a 4. She did the 21-day fix for 3 rounds and has been doing Body Pump as well as running to achieve this. She will be the first to tell you that getting back is shape is a lot of damn work but it feels so good to achieve the goals!!! Traci, you inspire me, thanks for being brave enough to join me!

My next challenger I want to spotlight is Kim. Kim is my yes girl. She is up for everything and is always so positive and determined. The very first day I signed up to be a coach I walked into the school where my son attends and told her my crazy new plan. She looked at me and said “I’m in” just like that. I was astonished that she was ready to believe in my so quickly but she did. I am so thankful that she decided to join me. She kept telling me she was ready to make a change and boy was she ever. There has not been a day go by that she has not been kicking her butt and sticking with this. If I had to make a poster child for the 21 day fix out of all of my girls I would pick Kim because she TRULY LOVES the program!! We tease her that Autumn the trainer in the video is her girl.

Having Kim in the group has been fun but what was even more fun was that I got to see her every single morning as I started my day. I would drop my son off at his school and she would be there almost every day bright and early with her Shakeology in hand and smile on her face. She made me believe that I truly was helping to make someone’s life better. Her positivity was a great start to my day each morning. Because of Kim I have also received fantastic referrals of challengers whom I may have never met on my own. She is the queen of referrals but takes no credit for it. I keep telling her she should be a coach but she prefers me to do the coaching for now. Without her I would not have been able to start my business as strongly as I have so far. For that I am forever grateful.

Kim went full speed ahead with not only changing her own ways but also the ways of her family. If you are a mom you can attest that this is never an easy task. It is one thing to change your own eating habits but to bring your family on board with you takes determination. Her children will now grow up in a house the values clean eating and exercise. How lucky for them.

Kim is working on her 4^th round of the 21- day fix. While the rest of my beginning challengers have moved on to new programs Kim still loves the fix and is sticking with it. She ordered the upgrade DVD’s for a change up and as I mentioned before is our 21-day fix poster child. She did the Shakeolgoy cleanse to break thru a weight loss plateu around Easter and also did the 3 day refresh this past week. Not only does she love her shakes but she also swears by E&E -which is Energy and Endurance- a pre workout drink that BeachBody offers.

Since our April 14^th start date Kim has lost 13 pounds and 7 inches total. She looks amazing and has abs that most women her age would kill for. In fact let me just say most women regardless of their age ;)

I am excited to see what program she picks next – replacing her love for the fix will be tricky!! Kim keep up your hard work – when you put your heart into something you really can achieve it!

If you want to be just like Traci and Kim message me to secure a spot in my upcoming challenge group: S.Griffith27@gmail.com 

Easy Oven Italian Chicken Potato and Green Bean Bake

Oven Italian Chicken and Potato Green Bean Bake

Last week my son and I went to one of the local farms so that he could play in the "corn box" with the tractors. He loves tractors and they have a fun little set up. I agreed but when we got there I insisted that we buy something first because we couldn't just play with the corn box. We picked red skin potatoes and fresh green beans. When we brought them home that day I decided I would make them for dinner that night. We had a few packets of Good Seasons Italian Dressing dressing laying around so I went for it and things turned out VERY GOOD!

Needed ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts

2 packets of Good Seasoning Italian Dressing 

1 lb fresh green beans

6 small red skin potatoes

Directions 

1. Prepare the Good Seasons Dressing mix according to the package

2. Cut chicken and place in a bowl to marinde - use half of the prepared marinade on the chicken

3. Cut potatoes into wedges and trim the ends off of the green beans then place into a seperate bowl and pour remaining marinade over to cover. Stir to coat potatoes and green beans. 

4. Place in the fridge for 1 hr to flavor

5. Combine all ingredients into a 13x9 glass baking pan 

6. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hr at 375 degrees

Strawberry Blueberry Apple Crisp

Strawberry Blueberry Apple Crisp 

Ingredients 

Crips Filling

2 cups of diced apples

2 - 3 cups of blueberries

1 cup of diced strawberries 

1/4 cup of stevia 

2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour 

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg

Crisp Topping

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup of whole wheat flour

3/4 cup of rolled oats 

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 cup of maple syrup

3 tablespoons of melted butter

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 

2. Mix all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl then scrape into a 9 inch pie pan 

3. In a small bowl combine the crisp topping ingredients - allow to sit for a few minutes to absorb the flavor 

4. Top the filling with the crip topping 

5. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and top is a crisp brown color

Enjoy! 

Surviving the 4th of July

Surviving The 4th of July Picnics 

For as long as I can remember the 4^th of July has been hands down one of my favorite holidays. My family has a huge bash and we end up spending hours together! Like every year I am looking forward to the day this year. However, I will be looking at this years gathering with a different eye. In years past, I GRAZE all day long. There is everything from the most amazing taco dip you could ever eat, to desserts galore, many, many, carbs and fun summer cocktails to boot! It’s the making of a perfect picnic! This year I am going to try my hardest to put a healthier spin on the 4^th of July party. I want to offer you some tips for avoiding junk foods all day and some suggestions for what you can bring along to snack on.

I would first suggest arriving on a full stomach. I know your parents always told you not to eat before you go to a party but if you want to try to avoid overloading on junk think ahead and have a light lunch before attending.

Bring some fruit infused water think strawberry and blueberries for the 4th- I am sure it will be a hot day. Anytime you get the urge to start grazing guzzle some water. It will keep you full and take your mind of the urge to snack.

Do other things instead of sitting around a picnic table all day – play a game, catch a fish, swim, chase your kids around- do something that does not involve eating all day. Now don’t get me wrong you should totally eat while you are there just be sure that the choices are healthy ones and that you are eating to fuel your body not simply because it is there and looks like it tastes good.

If you are going to drink on the 4th go for something light - a 4 oz glass of white wine or 1 12 oz beer, vodka with club soda lemon and mint leaves would be refreshing and light on calorites. Stay away from the margaritas and frilly drinks they scream sugar and calories that you don't need. 

If you can, take along a dish that you know you enjoy and is also a healthy pick. In addition is should be able to withstand a little bit of heat incase the picnic is outside. I am planning on making some healthy fresh options so that those who wish to eat healthy can. There is nothing worse than going to a party and all they have is junk, junk and more junk food.

Here are a few ideas I thought of this week:

            Dark chocolate covered strawberries

            Fresh salsa and corn tortilla chips

Southwest salsa with black beans, avocados, corn and tomatoes

            Fresh guacamole

            Fruit kebabs

            Hummus and pita chips

            Summer salad with grilled chicken

            Watermelon mint water

            Whole-wheat pasta salad

            Bruschetta

            Tomato Basil Mozzarella Bites on wheat bread

Deviled Eggs with avocado filling
Veggie Tray
Sushi wraps
Corn on the cob - roasted in a firepit or on the grill
Homemade trail mix with popcorn, nuts and dark chocolate chips

Try your best to enjoy the holiday and your family. Enjoy a few “cheats” but don’t make a day of it. You will thank yourself the next day. When you eat like crap, you feel like crap.

Check out my pinterest page for some recipe suggestions! Happy 4^th of July!

Frozen Banana Treats

Frozen Banana Treats

This is so fun for a nice hot summer day. This morning my son and I assembled these yummy treats, put them in the freezer and enjoyed them with our lunch. These were delicious and very easy. Ours made four banana pops but you could certainly use more bananas if you wanted more than four. I was fresh out of Popsicle sticks so we used kebab sticks from grilling. I would suggest not using them, as they are rather sharp and long. Not my brightest mom choice but we all make those dumb choices, right?

Here is what you will need

2 ripe bananas (or more if you want to have more)

1 cup of vanilla or plain yogurt

Cinnamon

Chopped walnuts (optional)

Popsicle sticks

Wax paper

Directions

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper

Cut bananas in half

Place on the Popsicle sticks

Dip into yogurt rolling around the banana to cover the entire piece of fruit

Lay back on to the cookie sheet

Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon

Top with crushed walnuts if you like – I made my sons without the nuts just to be safe.

Freeze for about 4 hours and enjoy!

Zucchini Fries

Zucchini Fries 

These were simple simple and my husband said they even looked like french fries so thats what I am calling them - sadly for him they do not taste like french fries but none the less they were pretty great! All you need is a zucchini 

Peel the zucchini then slice it length wise

Drizzle olive oil over it and spread on slices 

Then in a ziplock back add in 3/4 cup wheat bread crumbs

1 T. Italian Seasoning 

1/2 cup parmesan cheese 

Mix 

Put zucchini slices into the bag - shake to bread the slices

Then place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with motzerella cheese 

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown (about 20 minutes) 

  

Image above is what it should look like prior to baking 

Super Moist Banana Bread

Super Moist Banana Bread 

I woke up this morning craving banana bread but didn't want to make my normal recipe because it was full of oil, lots and lots of sugar and calories I didn't want. I decided I would check out Pinterest and I stumbled upon this one. It was a win! My little one and I had a great time making it. He helped the entire time and was proud of our treat. He kept calling it cake. I let him think it was cake! Enjoy! 

Ingredients

• 
  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 very large ripe bananas, mashed well
• 6 T. butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch baking pan.

Whisk the flour, sugar, soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl combine the mashed bananas, butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir to combine the wet ingredients. Gently fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just combine. Don't over mix. The batter should be thick and chunky.

Scrape the batter into the greased pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 55 minutes.

Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove it from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack for at least one hour before serving.

*This recipe was found on pinterest from http://www.blessthismessplease.com/2013/04/the-best-banana-bread-recipe.html 

Yogurt Fruit Bar Pops

He Thinks He Is Eating Ice Cream...

Yogurt Fruit Bar Pops 

First you will need to purchase popcicle molds or pull them out of your cabinets if you already have some. 

Ingredients 

Vanilla or plain or any other flavor yogurt for that matter - the amount you will need depends on your mold size

Mixed fruit chopped up finely

Directions

Fold chopped fruit into the yogurt

Pour into molds just above the fill line

Freeze for 4 hours and enjoy!

Toddler approved! Let me know how your family likes this one as well! Great on a hot summer day without having to give them the sugar from ice cream! 

Meal Planning 21 Day Fix Style

Doing the 21 Day Fix? Getting Ready To Meal Plan? 

Check out my tips and suggestions in this quick video on meal planning success!

I have found that challengers who meal plan vs. challengers who do not meal plan and simply "wing it" are MUCH more successful when they take the time to do this important part of the fix. MAKE THE TIME FOR IT! It will pay off!

Comparing Peanut Butter Options

As I began my clean eating journey one of the foods I realized I needed to change was my peanut butter option. I always thought eating peanut butter was a great idea and very healthy. Well I was only sort of right. Peanut Butter is pretty fattening and I needed to evaluate my options. Check out the video to hear my reasoning.

June 16th Challenge Group - Getting Your Body Back After The Baby

June 16^th Challenge Group – Calling all mommies!! 

To all of the ladies out there who are ready to lose the baby weight the time is now. Having a baby is not an excuse to let your body go it might be a reason why you are not where you want to be but you have the power to change that. For two years I told myself that I just did not have the time or energy to lose the baby weight that I was carrying around. I am a mom, a wife, a teacher and also I was working to finish my principal intership for my masters degree. I REALLY AM BUSY just like the rest of you.  Then this winter I decided that there was no better time than now to get back to where I wanted to be. I decided to do the 21 day fix thru Beachbody. The reason for my interest  in this particular program was that the program focused on nutrition and also exercise. It was 30 minutes a day and also said that you could lose up to 15 lbs in 21 days. The program came with a different workout for each day and also color-coded portion control containers for my goods. The challenge pack that I bought came with Shakeology – this is Beachbody’s meal replacement super drink. To me this was the part I was most nervous about trying. I am not a shake girl and I was worried I would get them and hate the taste. However, I was at the point where I wanted my body back and if it meant drinking a shake them so be it. Surprisingly this was a piece of cake. It tasted great and helped cut out my cravings for junk food. Now since February I drink them EVERY single day and actually love them. Chocolate is my favorite.

Along with the program came a coach and I was put into a challenge group. The group is a private group on Facebook where you will find support and motivation by myself and other challengers who are working to achieve the same thing. This was the missing piece for me and once it was there things really started to click. I found that I loved having someone to check in with each day. It made me less likely to not follow thru or quit on the meal plans.

The fix took a lot of will power, some time management and also some meal prepping but it was amazing how much your body can change in just 21 days. I felt fantastic. Energized, happy and healthy. It actually made me want to be a coach to help others feel the same way. So here I am and I am ready to help you.

Starting on June 16^th I am running a small challenge group JUST for women who are looking to lose their baby weight. There will be something special about all having the same goal and also the ability to understand the challenges of motherhood. The group will run for 30 days. We will all do the 21 day fix together. I will help you learn how to practice clean eating. You will also work on meal planning and within 21 days see some results that will change your whole summer. If you end up wanting to go beyond the 30 days you can stick with me and I will help you continue on your journey.

If you are considering this but the voice inside your head is saying – I don’t have time for this or I don’t think I could. Prove yourself wrong. We make time for what we want and if we don’t want it bad enough we make excuses.  If your ready for the change email me and we can get you started. S.Griffith27@gmail.com

English Muffins - Pizza Style

Tonight we decided to make one of our favorite new easy dinners. We enjoy making homemade pizzas but wanted a healthy take on them. Now we use whole grain English Muffins as the crust, I used my homemade spaghetti sauce, low fat mozzarella cheese and whatever else you want to add to it. On mine I put peppers, onions, black olives and filet minion. The other had pieces of ham and pineapple and the other was the one my son requested – pepperoni and black olives. Not my hands down healthiest meal ever but a better choice than take out pizza or frozen pizza. Simple, yummy and fun to have the kids help with!

Putting In The Garden

This weekend as we celebrate Memorial Day we continued a tradition that I have grown up with. Planting our garden! Since I was small we always had a garden and it wasn’t just a few tomatoes it was a garden that would make a farmer proud. My great grandpa “Pap” loved to garden and would help us put it in each Memorial Day weekend. Growing up I enjoyed it, but didn’t realize it would be something that I insisted on for my family when I grew up. When we got married we put in a big garden at our first place and enjoyed it and also learned our lesson that the bunnies loved the garden and we had to keep them out. Back at home it wasn’t an issue because there was plenty to go around for the bunnies we could afford to spare a few bites. When we built our new house Kevin tried to talk me out of putting one in. Our neighborhood is beautiful and a raised bed garden is a bit of an eye sore. Our first year we just did a few plants but last year I insisted I was not going to let the tradition I grew up with go by the wayside. I wanted my son to grow up with memories of growing beautiful things in the garden. We enjoyed it last year! He loved to pick the tomatoes even when they were not quite ready to pick. Nonetheless we had fun with it.

While we were home visiting my dad this weekend my son got to help put in his monster garden. It was so fun watching him do something that I myself had done in that same place so many years ago.

When we got home today I ventured out to buy my plants. Not only am I excited to be continuing something that was passed down from generations but also I am also excited to be able to be growing healthy organic foods that we can serve up all summer long. This year I went smaller than last – last year I planted enough to have a small farm in my little garden box. I stuck with the basics- tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, spaghetti squash, mint, and basil. One of my favorites is to make homemade spaghetti sauce. This is another family tradition. Tonight after Carter went to bed Kevin and I put everything in and netted up the sides so that the bunnies and dear would stay out. I always make us get a picture together by our masterpiece. Below you will find our traditional selfie.

If you haven’t already put in a garden I encourage you to go out and get some plants or seeds today. It will be a fun summer project and great memories for your children if you have any. There is something about putting food on the table that you grew. Makes you feel really great. Happy Memorial Day everyone! Remember why we celebrate!

Apple Blueberry Blackberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bake

Apple Blueberry Blackberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bake

Today I decided I wantd to make something healthy for breakfast and came up with this yummy combo!

Ingredients
2 apples
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup blackberries
2 cups of rolled old fashioned oats
1 egg
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups of vanilla almond milk or 1% milk
3 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Spray 9x9 dish with nonstick spray
Peel apples and chop line the botton of the pan with apples, blueberries and blackberries
In a seperate bowl mix togeter the oats, baking powder, sea salt, walnuts, and cinnamon
In another bowl mix egg, vanilla extract, pure maple syrup, almond milk and butter - wisk together
Next mix the oat mixture into the 9x9 pan coating the fruit. Once mixed pour milk mixture over top of this indgredients.
Top with 1/3 of the walnut mixture bake for 35 minutes uncovered until golden brown.

Clean Eating Taco Soup

I decided to take a version of our favorite Taco Soup and make it a little bit more clean. When I was out searching for a recipe I came across this fantastic one from one of my fellow beachbody coaches Melanie Mitro. It turned out really great and I was so excited to discover that it turned out really great! I encourage you to give it a try! See the recipe below. Comment if you try it and let me know how you like it!

Ingredients
1 cup taco cheese
3/4 c nonfat greek yogurt
1 15 oz can of white beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15 oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 4 oz can of diced green chilis
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 lb of ground turkey
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp dried cilantro
2 tsp Mccormick fiesta lime seasoning blend

Directions
In a large stock pot brown the ground turkey while seasoning it with the different seasonings as well as the minced garlic.
Add in the chicken broth, beans, corns, and tomatoes.
After this has come to a boil add in the greek yogurt and 1/2 cup of the taco cheese.
When serving sprinkle with taco cheese if desired.
Enjoy!

The shakeology 3 day cleanse was something that I finished up Wednesday this week. I was happy with the final outcome and found that I felt A LOT lighter. The food cravings got the best of me at few nights but I found that green tea helped to ward off hunger pains at night. I did not get any headaches like some people had noticed. Drinking water was key to keeping up my energy during those few days.I noticed for the rest of the week I was not very hungry. If you are looking to lose a quick 5 pounds and want to prove to yourself that you have the willpower to do it, contact me and I can ship out the Shakeology packets and a shaker cup to get you started. The cleanse can be done every 90 days.

3 Day Shakeology Cleanse

Well today I survived day 1 of the 3 day Shakeology cleanse. I decided that after a trip to LA last week and a weekend of Easter ham and treats it was time to give the cleanse a try. I am not really looking to lose much weight from it rather just restore my body back to a healther level. The nice part about this cleanse is that you are still eating some and it only lasts for 3 days. I did not need to buy anything for this because I already use Shakeology everyday. I felt great today but did wish that I was able to eat a bit more. I think it is a mind over matter thing though. Knowing that I coundn't eat much was what I think was making me more hungry. I am going to have my salad tomorrow for lunch instead of dinner because of work but other than that I plan to follow the same plan as today. If you are interested in giving it a try send me a message. I would be happy to get you started.

Below you will find details about what the cleanse meal plan looks like.