Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Pre-Black Friday Holiday Blow Out Sales

Get It While You Can - Lowest Prices Of The Year 


Just like all of the other companies that are getting ready to offer huge savings for Black Friday, Beachbody is planning to do the same thing offering prices at the lowest of the season. Starting Tuesday November 25, 2014- Tuesday December 2, 2014 they will be offering the products listed below at the sale price.  The sale will begin at 5pm on the 25th and end at 5pm on the 2nd. This is a great time to stock up on fitness programs for yourself or as gifts for loved ones. Items sell out quickly so get them while you can. Please contact me with questions regarding the programs. You can browse these items on my beachbody website. 





Monday, November 24, 2014

Easy One Pot Italian Dinner




Ingredients
1/2 box of whole-wheat spaghetti pasta
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) or diced tomatoes (you can use fresh but I only had a can this time around)
1 ½ teaspoons of sea salt
1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon of black pepper
32 oz of organic chicken or vegetable broth, I typically pick vegetable but today I had chicken on hand.
1 cup of fresh basil
3 cloves of fresh garlic minced
1 medium sized onion diced
Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley for garnish, I also like to add in kalamata olives.

Directions
Using a large stockpot place all ingredients in the pan. When adding the pasta in, break the noodles in half before putting into the mixture. Allow mixture to come to a boil and cook until the noodles are al dente.

Serve and garnish with Parmesan cheese as well as parsley. I often also like to add in olives.  

This recipe serves 4

Friday, November 14, 2014

“While you can’t change the cards you are dealt, you can change the way you play the hand.”



I suppose I have no reason to keep this a “secret” because it’s not a secret. My husband and I have been trying for another little one for over a year and a half now since we had our son. Nothing had been working for quite some time now so I asked about it this summer at the doctors. I didn’t think there could be anything wrong since I had a perfect pregnancy with my son and was blessed with him right away. Trying wasn’t necessary it just happened. Which is what we assumed would happen when we wanted to have the next one. Well when I went to the doctors since it had been over a year they agreed that I could have some blood work done and they would go from there to determine if something was wrong. At first I was going to do it, then my faith kicked in and I decided I wanted to wait. God was going to give us another one when the time was right and maybe the time just wasn’t right. This had crossed my mind each month as we tried for over a year. I decided to put the breaks on any testing and did not go for the blood work when it was ordered in July.

Now it’s November and still nothing. Well I was not feeling so great at the end of October so I decided to go to the doctors on a whim. That appointment ended up being Gods way of telling me it was time to take some further steps. I was required to get the blood work that I had been putting off and I also had to have some ultrasound testing done. Sadly, the results were not in my favor right now. I found out that I have polycystic ovaries, which was a bit scary and disappointing, but what I also found out that my thyroid was off the charts out of wack. Normal thyroid levels range between 0.2 – 4 and mine was 13.28. YIKES!!! The doctors were a bit surprised that I was not feeling sick or cold or that my hair was not following out. I laughed and said nope I feel great, which I did. What seemed to be helping me to feel okay was that I was putting so much effort into my healthy lifestyle. I have been exercising daily, practicing clean eating and drinking Shakeology each morning. All of these factors seemed to be what was keeping me from noticing that my body was not 100%

In a weird sense, I felt at peace with what I learned.  This was Gods way of putting me right where I need to be right now. He sent me to the doctors that day because I was not well. Had I not went that day I would never had pursued the blood tests right now, which in turn lead me to learning about my thyroid and the polycystic ovaries. The last few weeks have been challenging not just physically but also emotionally.

 The chance of another one until my thyroid gets fixed is slim to none. My body is trying its best to keep me going, the chances of producing a healthy little one seems to be out of the question for now. Once the thyroid issues are under control we will deal with the polycystic ovaries. We have already been referred on to fertility doctors if we wish to pursue it. We are going to take things one day at a time. Thanks to modern medicine, we are certain things will work out, but for now I am in a waiting phase. Knowledge is power and now that I know what is wrong it has helped me to be okay with our outcome for now.

I will say that this past week has been horrible in terms of my exercise and my healthy eating. I have found little motivation to get up and do my usual 4:30 am workout and I have not been very hungry. I know for certain I have not been eating quite enough this week or at least not having enough of the right foods. On Monday, I started my medicine to regulate my thyroid and you would think it would have helped, but quite honestly I feel like a MACK truck hit me. I am tired and really lacking much motivation. I spent the week feeling kind of “blah.” You see this is what sets those who overcome things and those who let things get the best of them apart. I cannot change that cards that have been dealt to me right now, but what I can change is how I play the hand. What that means is that starting Monday, the pity party is over. The exercise will resume and I will get back on track because there are worse things in life than what I am dealing with.

I share this story with you so that you will consider taking yearly actions for yourself to get a physical to monitor changes in your well being from time to time. I think it is especially important to have things checked out and if you are someone who has been trying to conceive for quite some time now. Look into the blood testing and ultrasounds. You might be surprised what you find out.

Keep me in your prayers. Regardless of the outcome, my life is blessed in a million and one ways. I will continue to have gratitude for what God has already given me and if the timing is right or if its an option, The Griffith’s will gladly welcome another one to our little family.




Monday, November 10, 2014

Your Invited To My Party... Healthy Holiday Support Group

Come to my party! I promise it will be fun! 





Where has fall gone? I felt like this month has went buy quicker than ever this year. As I put the Halloween decorations away today and flipped the calendar over to November, I realized that the holidays are closer than you think. It got me thinking about my theme and plan for November. I decided this month I would host an accountability group that would take my challengers thru both holiday months that are coming up. We will begin on November 17th and end on December 28, 2014. Some of you might be thinking, this ladies crazy, why would I want to start a fitness program right before the holidays and the answer is WHY would you NOT. You are about to embark on two months of busy schedules, holiday treats, special beverages and temptations galore. It is the perfect time to get started. Think of how ahead of the game you will be if you start now. Say you lose 5 lbs a month for the next two months. That will get you 10 lbs lighter before New Years, a time when the entire world is trying to get rid of the extra weight they put on over the holiday season.



During this accountability group you will receive constant support thru the holiday season. Will you still get to enjoy the traditional meals that are always present? Of course, but I will teach you how to enjoy them in moderation so that you can accomplish your goals while still enjoying the season. I will provide you with daily support, motivation and tips as well as clean holiday recipes and many fun ideas and tips to stay fit in the coming weeks.

As a bonus this month, I will be doing a raffle for anyone who purchases a challenge pack thru me before November 14th -the winner will receive one on one meal planning. I will sit down and ask you questions about the foods you typically prepare. From there I will help you to formulate a detailed meal plan for all the meals you will be consuming for the first 3 weeks of your challenge. In addition I will help find healthier alternatives to foods you enjoy the most! Meal planning is always the biggest hurdle for my challengers; let me take the work out of it for you!

What are you waiting for? January will be here before you blink, wouldn’t it feel good to already be on track to a healthier lifestyle? Fill out the application below to reserve your spot. I will be in touch within 24 hours.


Fill out my online form.
The easy to use Wufoo form builder helps you make forms easy, fast, and fun.


Monday, November 3, 2014

Cranberry Apple Crisp

Cranberry Apple Crisp


This weekend I was wanted to come up with a fall dessert that not only tasted great but also was mostly “clean.” Here is what I came up with.

In order to like this dish you need to enjoy the flavor of cranberries. I enjoyed the tangy flavor but my husband was wishing it were a bit sweeter. This turned out great as a hot dish but also tasted delicious when I had it as a morning snack today!

It would make a nice side for a Thanksgiving of fall gathering. Here is what you will need:

3 medium to large crisp red apples, peeled and sliced
1 dry pint of fresh cranberries ( I used organic )
1 lemon
¼ cup of brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon
2 cups of old fashioned oats
¼ cup
2 – 3 small pads of butter to put on the top for baking

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the apples and cranberries and pour into an eight inch-square baking dish.
Squeeze lemon over mixture
Sprinkle pumpkin pie seasoning, cinnamon and brown sugar over mixture and stir.
In a small bowl combine oats, flour and another teaspoon of cinnamon as well as pumpkin pie spice. Mix and then coat mixture with this. Add butter pads over the top to be melted into mixture.
Bake for 40 – 45 minutes uncovered until bubbly and fruit is soft.

Serves 4 - 5

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Healthy Holiday Support Group



Where has fall gone? I felt like this month has went buy quicker than ever this year. As I put the Halloween decorations away today and flipped the calendar over to November, I realized that the holidays are closer than you think. It got me thinking about my theme and plan for November. I decided this month I would host an accountability group that would take my challengers thru both holiday months that are coming up. We will begin on November 17th and end on December 28, 2014. Some of you might be thinking, this ladies crazy, why would I want to start a fitness program right before the holidays and the answer is WHY would you NOT. You are about to embark on two months of busy schedules, holiday treats, special beverages and temptations galore. It is the perfect time to get started. Think of how ahead of the game you will be if you start now. Say you lose 5 lbs a month for the next two months. That will get you 10 lbs lighter before New Years, a time when the entire world is trying to get rid of the extra weight they put on over the holiday season.



During this accountability group you will receive constant support thru the holiday season. Will you still get to enjoy the traditional meals that are always present? Of course, but I will teach you how to enjoy them in moderation so that you can accomplish your goals while still enjoying the season. I will provide you with daily support, motivation and tips as well as clean holiday recipes and many fun ideas and tips to stay fit in the coming weeks.

As a bonus this month, I will be doing a raffle for anyone who purchases a challenge pack thru me before November 14th -the winner will receive one on one meal planning. I will sit down and ask you questions about the foods you typically prepare. From there I will help you to formulate a detailed meal plan for all the meals you will be consuming for the first 3 weeks of your challenge. In addition I will help find healthier alternatives to foods you enjoy the most! Meal planning is always the biggest hurdle for my challengers; let me take the work out of it for you!

What are you waiting for? January will be here before you blink, wouldn’t it feel good to already be on track to a healthier lifestyle? Fill out the application below to reserve your spot. I will be in touch within 24 hours.
Fill out my online form.
The easy to use Wufoo form builder helps you make forms easy, fast, and fun.