Free Clean Eating Challenge

Hi all!  I'm hosting a free clean eating challenge this next week!  If you are interested in learning how to eat healthy or need some accountability to jump start your journey come and join us!!

If you'd like to join us you can join our new group here http://ow.ly/MwiAh

Good, Better, Best

Growing up my mother had a quote on the wall that said

This quote can be useful in a LOT of situations and I'm not sure if it's because it was hung in our dining room for a while, or simply because it's been on my mind lately but this is exactly how I feel about meal planning.  Like most things in life we can't take what is good one day and make it the BEST the next.  We need to improve step by step  as we gain confidence, knowledge, and practice we can improve.  So how does this relate to eating clean and health?  I really feel that at the end of the day if you are eating - that is "good". There will be opportunities to take that good meal and make adjustments so that it can be "better" and eventually the "best" but I really think it needs to come in stages.
There are 2 ways to take your meal plans from Good to Better and then Best. One way is to adjust the individual meals themselves. As we go through the week we will talk about it more but here is an example:

Good: Eating Pancakes for breakfast
Why is this good? Because it's great that you are at least eating breakfast.  It's often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and while I think every meal is the most important meal because it helps stabilize your blood sugar and eating regularly keeps you from over eating, breakfast can set the tone for the whole day.  So the fact that you ate it is good!

Better:  Pancakes, Strawberries, Greek Yogurt
Why is this better?  It still gives you (and your family) the wonderful Pancake option but it adds in fruit and a healthy protein which will help balance your "plate" keep you full longer, adds in protein and the vitamins and nutrients of a fruit and the combination of the carb and protein will help keep you full longer.  Also, adding in the options of the strawberries and yogurt should also reduce the amount of pancakes you eat.  Overall you are adding in more healthy options and reducing the sugar and carbs.

Best:  Find a whole wheat healthy pancake recipe.  (maybe a great ricotta cheese one!) top it with fresh berries with a little honey instead of syrup or try using real maple syrup!  Add a side of yogurt or cottage cheese and you are set.  Like the better option adding in the fruit and yogurt will reduce the amount of Pancakes needed and replace the empty carbs with nutrients that will help keep you full, but now you are making the pancakes a healthier option using a whole grain and less sugar by substituting the syrup.

So that is option 1. Slowly taking your foods you are currently eating from "good" to "best". Option 2 is the number of "best" options you provide your family. Right now you may only have a few better or best meals. Maybe you are starting off with 4 good, 2 better and 1 best dinners a week. As you try new recipes and find things that work you can slowly increase your ratio.

Most children aren't going to jump from "good" meals to "best" meals just because you decided to make it healthy. Taste buds and expectations need a little time to adjust, be patient with yourself and your family. Try to improve one meal at a time. Most people don't eat "best meals" every single night. There is moderation in all things and that includes meal planning.

If you'd like help getting your nutrition and meal healthier I'd love to help!  You can always fill out a form here and I will be happy to get in touch!

Happy Birthday to...

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you (are you singing it in your head yet?) Happy Birthday SHAKEOLOGY, Happy Birthday to you!  Now I realize most people don't have a desire to celebrate the "birthday" of their protein shake, but this is so much more than just "another" protein shake!  Shakeology, along with the Beachbody company, has literally changed my life over the last year and that does deserve a celebration!!  To add to the celebrating, Beachbody has just release their new Shakeology 6 serving sample box.  This comes with one of every flavor that Shakeology comes in so that you can choose the perfect flavor for you!  Now as a side note, Shakeology is amazing and works on a cellular level, so while you will see some of the amazing benefits of it while using it for the first 6 days, this is more of a flavor sampler than a product sample.  If you want to see everything that it can do for you I really recommend staying on it every day for one month. Great thing is that Beachbody feels this way too - that's why they always offer a bottom of the bag money back guarantee.  If you would like to try your own sample you can get it here.  And always, if you have any questions just let me know!

Here is a great Shakeology success story from the Shakeology blog:

“After having three kids back-to-back, one day I woke up and realized that I was just another fat, out-of-shape mom, full of excuses why I couldn’t work out. I hated my body, none of my clothes fit, and I just felt sloppy all the time. I had to change, and change I did.
With 3 kids, all under 4 years old, I only had short periods of time to get the best results and maximize my efforts, so that’s why TurboFire’s HIIT 15 was one of my favorite workouts. It’s short, intense, and I can do it when the kids are napping. And then there’s Shakeology, which was key to my transformation. Not only does Shakeology provide my body with the vital nutrients it needs, it gives me so much energy and satisfies my cravings like no other shake I have ever tried. I absolutely love this stuff!
I lost 28 pounds with TurboFire and Shakeology and went from a size 10 to a 4. Today I’m fit, healthy, love how I look and feel, and have amazing amounts of energy. I’m not going to lie and say it was easy, especially with 3 little ones running around, but when you really want something bad enough, you find a way.”

If you are ready to get back to feeling like you again you can fill out a challenge application here!  Or you can always message me at any time.

Free February Fitness Challenge

Hi friends!  So as part of my New Year's resolution this year I decided that I wanted to do more free health groups.  I get so many people loving the clean eating groups that I have decided to host one once a month....but not leave it at that!  There is so much more to health than just eating.  I wanted to have the time to have groups for fitness, water, sleep, flexibility and more - so I'm going to do MORE!  So even though we just finished a free clean eating group, I wanted to jump in again and run a Free Fun February Fitness Challenge....and in case there weren't enough F's in it - I'll also say that it's going to be FANTASTIC!  If you want to join in just go here and request to join the group.  I'd love to have you and can't wait to start Monday!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you had a Merry Christmas!  Head on over to my Facebook like page for a Christmas gift from me to you!!

10 years later....

10 (almost 10.5) years ago I got married and we knew that having several children would be in our future. I knew that having children would change my body and, listening to advice from others, I knew that it would "never be the same again!" They were right, but I think that for many years I took that too negatively. As I watched my body grow - deflate, grow - deflate, watched my weight fluctuate in between nursing and having children I just learned to accept the "new me" as payment of sorts for being able to have children of my own. A year ago next week my baby turned one and that was my "ah-ha" moment. I knew that I didn't like where I was or what I was doing and that something had to change. I wanted to workout and "get in shape" but honestly thought that since I had children there was only so much I could do. I started with P90X3 and just hoped to feel better. As the months progressed I realized that "they" were right. My body will NEVER be the same as before children, but what I didn't realize is that it could be even BETTER!! While getting the Christmas decorations out I found my wedding dress and decided to see how it fit. I was SO happy to see that I had room to spare! In these pictures I even have my blue jeans an bulky belt on under the dress because I had enough room. Who knew that 10 years and four kids later I would have wiggle room in my wedding dress?!

Chicken Pesto and Tomato Bake

The other day I was looking for a recipe to bring a friend for dinner,  I wanted something simple yet delicious.  They had a few dietary restrictions so I needed to stick with chicken and when I saw this recipe on pintrest (from thepinningmama )I had to try it out.

Chicken Pesto Tomato Bake

             "To make this takes minutes.  Trim your chicken breast and lay them in a glass baking dish.  Spread about 1-2 tablespoons of prepared pesto (I like the Kirkland brand at Costco, but it all works!) Slice 1-2 roma tomatoes into 1/2″ thick slices and lay them on top of the pesto.  Sprinkle mozzarella (or Italian blend cheese) over the whole thing.  I like to use the Frigo mozzarella and just grate a bit for the top, but to make it even easier just use pregrated.  Bake at 400˚F for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear."

**For once, I actually followed the recipe exactly.  I cut our breasts into pieces since we were feeding children, but other than that it's exactly the same!

My kids LOVED it, my husband LOVED it.  Quick, easy, and if you watch your pesto - a clean eating recipe!  This will be a family go-to for sure!  We served it over tiny pasta but that was only because I didn't know how our friends would like quinoa.  

Try it out and let me know how you like it!