August Back to School Clean Eating Group

Back to school has always been one of my favorite times of the year. Everything feels like a fresh start to me during this month. This fall I wanted to help teach you how to change your lifestyle and learn more about clean eating. I will be hosting a 30 -day clean eating challenge group for back to school. This group will run for 30 days and I will teach you how to change your lifestyle and focus on feeding yourself and your family clean meals. We will go thru clean eating education – what is it, where to start, how to get the best deals and secrets of how to be successful with clean eating. Each week I will provide you with daily recipes and a grocery list for the week. We will practice meal planning and meal prep each week to help keep you organized and on track with your new lifestyle. The group will be hosted thru a private group on Facebook where you will get to meet and interact with others who are looking to change their lifestyle just like you are.

Exercise is not required to be in this group however it would certainly be beneficial to your overall health. Participants will need to drink Shakeology during these 30 days. They will get to see how it transformations their body with vitamins and boots your energy.

If you are worried about having time to fit exercise into your crazy schedules this fall this is a great place to start. Most weight loss is 80/20 – 80% nutrition and 20 % exercise.

If you are sick of feeling tired, lethargic and out of shape start here. Start with the lifestyle change and let me teach you how to create a better life for yourself and your family.

Message me or send and email to S.Griffith27@gmail.com to reserve your spot. We start on August 19, 2014. 

Clean Eating Ice Cream Sandwiches

Smudgies 

When I found this recipe on pinterest it was called Smudgies - I was looking for an alternative to ice cream sandwiches. My husband enjoys them but I won't buy them anymore. They are too tempting for me. I came across this healthy alternative and it tasted pretty good even if the pictures don't really do them much justice ;)

Needed Ingredients 
2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter
2 ripe bananas
24 graham cracker squares

Directions 
In a bowl combine the 2 bananas as well as the PB
Mash until lumps are removed and creamy

Break the graham crackers in half and line in rows on a sheet of foil

Spread the mixture over 12 graham crackers then cover with the other 12 crackers. 

Stack the sandwiches in twos and cover with foil

Freeze for 6 hours and enjoy 

* These stayed fresh in the freezer for about 3 days* 

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 

Grilled Green Beans

Grilled Green Beans 

Last nights dinner - grilled green beans, steak, grilled onions and brown rice 

Not sure why but I have never tried to make green beans on the grill but last night I decided to go for it. I wrapped the washed and sliced beans in foil making almost like a pocket for them to cook in. Wrapped it twice so nothing would spill out and cooked it. They did take 35 mins so plan ahead if you are going to give it a try. They turned out great and even my husband said they were good and he is not a huge fan of fresh green beans. 

Here is what you will need:

1lb of fresh green beans

2oz of extra virgin olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of rosemary 

1/2 teaspoon of dried basil 

1/8 of a cup of parmesan cheese

Directions 

Heat grill to 450 degrees 

Wash green beans and trim edges of the beans

Create a rectangular packet double lined with foil
In a small bowl mix together olive oil and dry ingredients stir and put green beans in the mixture coating the green beans. 

Place in the foil and sprinkle with the parm cheese 

Place on the grill and turn every 5 minutes for 35 minutes. 

Enjoy!

PiYo Meal Planning

Meal Planning - PiYo Style 

This week I decied to start PiYo but had not done the meal plannign with it. I know how important meal planning is in order to be successful with a program so I spent some time working on it Friday night. Grocery shopped today and now I feel ready to conquer week 2. I am a bit nervous about Friday because it is the 4th of July, but I am going to try my best to stick to the plan. 

I was surprised how similar the meal planning was for the 21 day fix. In fact, it is basically the same. I am planning on using the containers that I used for the fix. The only thing that is different for me is that I have one additional serving of veggies while doing PiYo. For those of you who have done the 21 day fix I would suggest continuing the container use. As you can see below you will be eating many times during the day. If you can try to space the foods out about 2 - 3 hours and be sure to be drinking half of your body weight in ounces. 

PiYo Week 1 Meal Plan

www.sarahgriffith27.blogspot.com

Plan A

4 Primary Veggies

2 Secondary Vegetables and Grains

2 Fresh Fruit

4 Lean Proteins

3 Healthy Fats

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Breakfast	Vanilla Shakeology  Whole Wheat English Muffin w/ natural pb	Vanilla Shakeology Whole Wheat English Muffin w/ natural pb	Vanilla Shakeology Eggs with peppers & onions	Chocolate Shakeology	Chocolate Shakeology
Snack	Eggs with peppers and onions Blueberries/straw	Apple	10 pistachios Strawberries	Apple Natural PB	Egg omelet Peppers/ Onions
Lunch	Grilled Chicken Salad- cucumbers/pepper 10 pistachios	Steak salad Cucumber/peppers Plain yogurt Mixed berries	Grilled Chicken Wraps Avocado Lettuce Mozzarella Cheese Steamed Broccoli	Ham Lettuce Wrap Mixed Fruit Peanuts (1 tbsp)	Pulled Pork Fruit Salad Peppers Hummus Salad
Snack	Apple- Peanuts(1tbsp)	Peppers	Mixed Berries	Hummus Peppers	Almonds Fruit Salad
Dinner	Filet Minion Broccoli, Baked Potato	Grilled Chicken Wraps Avocado Lettuce Mozzarella Cheese	Pork Chops Brown Rice String Beans	Grilled Chicken Black Beans Brown Rice Diced Tomatoes Onions	Lean Burger Wheat Bun Cheese Fresh Salsa Corn Tortilla Chips

7 Day Clean Eating Group -

Jump On The Clean Eating Train With Me

I am so excited to announce that our Beachbody team Forever Fit is hosting a 7 day clean eating group. During those 7 days we will be providing you with education on what clean eating is. In addition we will have a grocery list for you for shopping, meal planning ideas, recipes as well as mini workouts! You will have access to me and many other coaches from my team.

Think you are interested? Here is how you get started:

Step 1: Go to my site and sign up for your free team beachbody account and have me as your coach.

Step 2: Purchase a 7 day supply of shakeology from me or from my site - They cost $5.00 per packet when you buy them thru me. If you already have Shakeology you will not need to buy anything. 

Step 3: You will be added to the private group on Facebook

Step 4: Take your before measurements and pictures

Step 5: Learn about how to live a great new healthy lifestyle. 

I challenge you to step up to the plate and join us! 

Detox Water - What's In Your Cup Today?

Detox Water 

It is no secret one of the best tips to losing weight it to drink water, LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of water each day. You should make drinking half of your weight in ounces your goal every day.  At first this was a huge challenge for me. I am a teacher so drinking that much water on my strict daily bell by bell time schedule was tricky, but I trained my body to be able to drink that much without running like a pregnant lady to the bathroom all the time.  You can do it to. My advice though it to start small and increase your ounces each day until you are at your goal. The water will help to detox your system and remove impurities from your body.

"One of my favorites - so simple lemon and mint" 

Drinking that much water can get boring so I make sure I spice it up and add in different fruits and even veggies each day. I prefer to prep my water the night before so that it has time to “marinate” overnight. It amazed me how much flavor the water was getting simply by putting it in overnight.

Different fruit and veggies have different benefits for your body. Here are a few fun combos you might want to try. I like to muddle the fruits a little bit before dropping them in. They make water bottles that will do this for you but this way is cheaper ;) I typically make a pitcher at a time so that I have plenty for the day.

Watermelon & Mint

Cucumber & Lime

Cucumber, Lemon and Mint

Strawberry & Lemon

Blackberry & Lemon

Strawberry & Tangerine

Apple Slice and Cinnamon Stick

Raspberry & Lime

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!