Saturday, December 13, 2014

Clean Chili Mac



My husband was getting grumpy about all of my clean healthy meals so I decided I needed to set out to find something that he would approve of. I tricked him into loving this clean version of Chili Mac and Cheese.  We absolutely loved it and enjoyed it as leftovers the second day! 
(Makes 9 servings)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 pounds lean ground meat 
  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped fine)
  •  8 fresh cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce, no sugar added, low sodium is best
  • 1 cup water
  • Whole grain macaroni, cooked to package directions (as much as you like)
  • Salt to taste
  • Parmesan cheese for garnish
    DIRECTIONS:
  1. In a medium to large soup pot, cook the meat in the oil.
  2. When the meat is about half way cooked, stir in all the spices.
  3. When the meat is finished cooking, stir in the pasta and remaining ingredients.
  4. Served topped with parmesan cheese.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Salted Caramel Shakeology



Ingredients 
10 oz of water
8 oz of ice
4 oz of vanilla almond milk
1 scoop of chocolate Shakeology
1 tsp of caramel extract
A dash of pink himalayan sea salt

Directions
Combine ice, almond milk and water into a blender
Add in extract and sea salt
Add in 1 scoop of the Shakeology

Blend for 1 min and enjoy!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

New Year- New You Healthy Lifestyle Support Group


After putting some though into when I wanted to have my December healthy lifestyle support group kick off, I decided that it was going to be best to wait until AFTER the Christmas holiday occurred. My rationale was that it is hard to change your lifestyle no matter what month of the year it is, but it seems that December makes it even harder because of all the gathering with family and not so healthy foods that we tend to enjoy. Therefore, we are going to kick off the group on Monday December 29, 2014. Putting you about a week ahead of all the New Years Resolutions that are going to be set. We will start what is called “pre-season” that Monday and will start your workout programs the following Monday January 5th. During the pre-season week we will come up with a plan to get you on track and start taking deliberate measures to put your new lifestyle into play.

Often I get asked what exactly do you do in an accountability group? The answer is that I guide you thru a health and fitness program and teach you how to create a better healthier lifestyle for yourself. I hold you accountable and help you to keep with this even when you may not always feel like it. Sometimes all we need is someone to take us by the hand and walk us thru things. I have worked with women and men in all different professions and it seems that regardless of your education, income level or even fitness level sometimes we all just need someone else to care about your health other than yourself. Let me be that person. Let me motivate you and put you in contact with others who are working at the same goal.

The group will run for 30 days. In it you will receive daily motivation, recipes, shakeology recipe tips as well as fitness and clean eating tricks. After the 30 days are up, you can decide if you want to continue on your journey with me, or if you are ready to conquer this lifestyle on your own. I am here for you as long as you need me.


Please contact me today if you would like to be considered for a spot in the New Year -New You Healthy Lifestyle Accountability Group. Fill out the application below and I will be in contact with you within 24 hours.


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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.


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