That Post Holiday Feeling

For the last 4 years, on the Monday after a holiday weekend, I would have been that friend posting
something like:

“Did you eat ALL the things this holiday like I did? If so, you might be feeling as yucky, bloated, and tired as me too. Let’s get back on track together."

But that's not me today.

Today, I come from a place of enjoying my holiday without making it about food. 🙌🏻

I was able to enjoy a bit of that sweet potato casserole that my mom always made, along with a cookie and a tiny key lime pie from my Fixate cookbook, without gorging myself until I felt "yucky" and "bloated." This year, the holiday time together was about friends and family and not about what was on the table.

I'm finally in a place of feeling good and in control. My decision to stick with my workouts and follow my eating plan allows me to actually LOSE weight over the holiday. Imagine that!

But it’s taken me years to get to this place.

It's taken me years to realize that I DO have the tools to overcome eating "all the things." I don’t have to look back over a holiday weekend and regret that I have to work hard to lose the weight I had gained.

It’s truly about a lifestyle change.

Sustainability.

Recipes the whole family can eat that don’t cut out any food groups, that are wholesome, homemade, and with the right balance of macro nutrients <—- without all the work that can bring.

I’ve needed this in my life for a long time, and maybe you have too.

I’m not going to beg you to join me, because it truly is a lifestyle change and something you have to be ready to make for yourself, but if you ARE ready, I’m here to coach you through it as a certified Ultimate Portion Fix coach!

If you’re not ready, that’s OK too, but if that ever changes I’ll still be here, still doing this thing, because this is about a lifestyle!


Filled with Hope,

Green Eggs In Honor of Dr. Suess

On the first Sunday of every month our church celebrates families with what they call "Ohana Sunday." Ohana, in Hawaiian, means family. And at our church, Ohana Sunday means games, fellowship, and a huge potluck. For the past two years our March Ohana Sunday has been themed Dr. Suess. It's by far my favorite Sunday when it comes to making fun food to share.

Last year I made blue jello cups with Swedish fish in them to go with One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. This year I made cupcakes with blue frosting topped with those same Swedish fish, as it was a quicker way to accomplish the same theme.

But then I also made avocado deviled eggs to go with Green Eggs and Ham. They were DELICIOUS and healthy, so I'm sharing the recipe! I originally found it on Pinterest because, let's face it, where else do you find recipes?!?! The original recipe was from California Avocados, but shared on this website: This Mama Cooks.

I made a few tweaks based on the ingredients I had, the amount I wanted to make, and personal preference which will be reflected in the recipe below.


Avocado Deviled Eggs

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Total Time: 35 Minutes

Servings: 24 deviled eggs

• Serving size: 1 deviled egg

• 12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
• 2 fully ripened avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 2 tablespoon plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, place egg yolks; add the avocado and mash until smooth.
2. Stir in yogurt, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly.
3. Spoon into egg white shells or place in a ziplock bag and snip the corner to pipe into eggs, dividing equally.
4. Arrange on a serving plate. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 hours. (Don't serve long after 3 hours as the avocado will start to darken.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It's perfect for a green food-themed St. Patrick's Day or Easter, and it's healthier too ;-)

Filled with HOPE,

Pumpkin Oatmeal Recipe

I know oatmeal is good for you, especially when you are breastfeeding... But I'll be honest, I don't
care for it very much. However, recently while getting lost on Pinterest I came across a recipe that sounded like it would be yummy! So I tried it out, and this gurl really liked it! So here it is :-)

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Serves 1
Container Equivalents (per serving): 1 Yellow, 1/4 Purple

Ingredients:
1 cup water
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup pumpkin puree
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon maple syrup


1. In a small saucepan bring the water to a boil. Add the oats and lower the heat to medium-high, cook covered for about 5-8 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed into the oatmeal.

2. Stir pumpkin into the oatmeal and then add in the maple syrup and spices.

3. Serve immediately

That Stubborn Baby Weight!

Truth is I'm probably just like you. An average new mom that is trying to balance having a baby to
take care of, a house to keep up, a job, and on top of that trying to get my pre-baby body back.

I thought it would be easier! Losing weight has never been easy though, so I'm not sure why I thought this would be any different... but I did.

Truth be told I ate a few too many Ben & Jerry's pints during my pregnancy and ended up gaining about 15 pounds more than I had planned to. Oops!

Yes, I worked out consistently, ate clean 75% of the time (that might be stretching it a bit) and drank Shakeology every single day, but that didn't guaranty a quick bounce back. What it did though was prepare me for 26 hours of labor including 4 hours of pushing my little guy out and feeling every bit of the pain. I don't think I would've been able to handle that if I hadn't kept up on my exercise as much as I did.

But here I am almost 4 months later and I still have inches to lose and about 10 pounds to go before I get to my pre-baby weight. Honestly, it can get discouraging. I hop on Pinterest and see these women who had their pre-baby body back within just a few weeks. Heck they look better 3 weeks postpartum than I did before I got pregnant.

As I took my week 3 measurements this morning it was hard to not be disappointed. I've done all the workouts. I've used heavier weights than I ever have before. I've eaten clean 80% of the time and I have not missed a day of my superfood shake. And yet the scale didn't budge in the last week. I lost inches in some places and gained in others.

I was discouraged.

So what should I do? Should I throw in the towel and decide this program isn't worth doing? (I'm doing Hammer and Chisel, by the way, if you've missed my daily Facebook live post at Dani Grant Maui). Do I go back to my days of eating poorly, as in not enough, in hopes of starving off the last 10 pounds?

Other moms told me this would be easy. Lots of them said if I breastfed it would fall off and I wouldn't even have to try. They looked at me and said it was all baby weight. They thought I was crazy for all the workouts I did.

But the reality is it hasn't fallen off—and yes I do exclusively breastfeed. I have had to work my butt off for every pound and inch lost. I'm not there, but by golly I won't quit! It may take longer than I had planned or wanted. It may be the hardest thing I've physically done. But I will not give up on myself!

In those moments when I want to quit I remind myself of a few things:

• I am more than a number on the scale. The tape measurements don't define me.
• I am stronger than I knew I was. If I can birth a Toby I can do pretty much anything! ;-)
• I feel my best when I fuel my body and exercise it!
• Everyone's body responds differently. Some take longer than others!

This is why I host monthly, and sometimes bimonthly, accountability groups. It's as much to support another woman as it is to keep myself going.

If you are like me and have found that this baby weight isn't falling off, or any other weight you may have gained due to health issues, poor eating habits or a sedentary life, let's join forces! Though the process may take longer for me than for you, or vice versa, I trust in this process. I know that if I never give up I will get to my destination!

Hearty Chicken Rice and Veggie Soup Recipe

It was a chilly day here on Maui, and there haven't been many days I could say that! ;-) Soup just seemed to fit the bill. I haven't had soup in a while so I threw together some ingredients and made us a super yummy lunch!

How do I know it was super yummy? The husband went back for seconds and then two hours later was still talking about how good the soup was!

Win!

Hearty Chicken Rice and Veggie Soup

Ingredients

32 oz. Chicken Stock
Garlic Seasoning
Parsley Flakes
Oregano Seasoning
Salt
Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Brown Rice
1 Small Zucchini
1 Cup Carrots
4 Small Red Skin Potatoes
1 Chicken Breast

Directions

1. Pour chicken stock and rice into a large pot and add seasonings to taste (garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper), set on medium high heat.
2. Chop zucchini, carrots and potatoes into small chunks along with the chicken and add to pot.
3. Cook on medium high heat for approximately 30-45 minutes or until veggies and chicken are cooked through.

I paired mine with some Groaning Muffins I had in the freezer.

Enjoy!

Preparing For Baby Workout & Life On Maui Update

I could begin with an apology for being a FAILURE at blogging! I could tell you all about how "busy" I've been since moving to Maui. I could blame it on my prego brain and hormones.

But that all would be a LIE! Hahaha!

I'm really just bad about taking the time to blog. There you have it. The truth.

I've realized one of the reasons I'm so bad at keeping up with it, even though I have good intentions, is that I know I'm grammatically incorrect and in order to have a nicely written blog I must depend on my husband to edit them for me :-) Which he is super about, but it's one more thing on his plate.

Since I last posted we have been busy with working on our businesses, growing them and creating them into something that can financially support us here on Maui. We have gotten very involved with our new church family, including attending a small group, Bible studies, and serving on ministry teams for social media and kids church. I've also taken on some babysitting, which is a great chance for me to get out and earn some extra money at the same time.

I've gone back and forth with doing great with my eating and exercising. I attempted to do the 21 Day Fix program with minimal modifications, however in the final week I was unable to complete it due to needing to take it easy on my body. Thankfully I was also part of a Bump n' Booty group that had a daily booty workout challenge that helped me stay on top of things.

The workout on the right is similar to some of the moves we did. It's a great low impact workout for anyone, but especially all the mommies out there.

I'm putting this blog on my "to do list" because not only is it a great way for me to keep in contact with so many of you, but also a fun way for me to go back and see what life was like at this point :-)

Until next time, I promise not to let two months go bye!

Pumpkin Pancakes - Gluten Free, Dairy Free!

I promised to share this recipe on Facebook yesterday. They are becoming my "go to" fall treat because it isn't really fall until you have pumpkin everything!

Pumpkin Pancakes
(Gluten and Dairy FREE!)

Recipe is for one and makes 4 medium sized pancakes.

1/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Ground Flax Seed
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (or use your own spices)
1/4 tsp Cinnamon (or a hand full if you love cinnamon :-)
1-2 tsp Honey or Pure Maple Syrup
Sprinkle of Salt

Preheat your griddle to medium heat, about 325. Your pan/griddle needs to be HOT before you start cooking the pancakes, so be sure to turn it on before you make your mix!

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl until smooth.

Oil your griddle—I used coconut oil, but any oil will do.

Pour 4 medium sized pancakes on the hot griddle, about 4 inches across each. Let cook for 2-3 minutes on one size until it begins to bubble, flipping too early may cause them to stick. After you flip let them cook 2-3 more minutes until cooked through.

If you are following the 21 Day Fix program this recipe equals 1 orange, 1 green, 1 red and 1 tsp :-)

Enjoy with a drizzle of honey, maple syrup or other toppings!

Hope you enjoy!

Review Of The FIXATE Cookbook

When I started 21 Day Fix it was life changing for me. It wasn't your typical "diet" because you don't count calories. Instead it has these little color-coded containers in which you place your food, and then you eat the right amount of containers to get your daily dose of carbs, proteins, veggies, etc. This was finally an eating plan that I could follow forever! It taught me healthy portions and the best kinds of food for each group.

The only problem that I eventually ran into was that I got sick of eating a container of meat, a container of veggies and fruits and carbohydrates. I wanted to make real meals again, but I didn't know how to combine the foods I needed to eat into meals that tasted great and still met my daily caloric requirements.

Enter FIXATE, a cookbook created by Autumn Calabrese, the creator of 21 Day Fix. Instantly my problem was solved! The book features 101 recipes that Autumn uses for her own family and work with the container plan. This new cookbook has upped my game because I have tons of go-to, delicious meals that work with my healthy eating.

Jake and I have enjoyed homemade tomato sauce, cake, brownies, chicken parmesan, macaroni and cheese, French toast, zoodles, and meatballs—just to
name a few. It has brought so much variety back into our diet while at the same time not sacrificing what we've learned about healthy eating.

I would recommend this cookbook to anyone. Whether you are doing 21 Day Fix or another Beachbody workout, or are just wanting to eat healthier and have a variety of options.

If you are interested in ordering FIXATE or have any questions, please leave a comment below or get in touch with me via the contact button above.

Believe In You!

I've been thinking about my blog and why it is so hard for me to write it. It's something I want to do, and yet I will put off writing a post, even when I know what I want to share.

I think that it's because I am a much better speaker than I am a writer. I tend to over analyze my writing and grammar instead of being able to focus in on what I want to share. Another thing I find is that when I start talking with someone about something I am passionate I get excited and the words just flow. I have trouble translating this to written word.

So, with that being said, I've decided that starting next week I'm going to try to turn this into a vlog (video blog). I have a tripod and adapter for my ipad on the way, which I'm super excited about, so that should make shooting videos a lot easier!

I'm also super excited that I will be making this transition as I start 21 Day Fix Extreme, with the Countdown to Competition eating plan. Just this week I've decided to do this program and plan, after seeing and being inspired by another coach's amazing results, and wanting to see what I'm capable of. I've always known I do best when I challenge myself, but I think lately I haven't been challenging myself enough.

That's about to change! At least for the next 21 days starting on Monday ;-) If you want to follow my journey you can subscribe to my blog... er, vlog, so that you get my posts through emails, or just check back here from time to time.

I will leave you with a final thought that has been going through my mind the last couple of days: "If you don't believe in yourself who will? For a time you can find others who believe in you and surround yourself with them, but there will come a time you need to step up and believe you can do whatever you put your mind to! Today, choose to believe in you!"

Frozen Peanut Butter Shakeology Cup

Confession: I am a chocoholic, sweetoholic, sugaroholic and carboholic! I rarely miss a day without doing some sort of workout, because honestly even if you say you have no time a half hour a day seven days a week only adds up to 3 1/2 hours ;-) You can't tell me you don't spend that much time watching TV or movies, facebook scrolling or partaking of some other mindless activity that you really don't benefit from at all. So, I make it work! When I work 20 hours a week or when I work 70!

My downfall though has always been my diet! When I was younger I could get away with counterbalancing my diet with exercise.  As I get older though, and have more gray hairs, that just doesn't cut it anymore!

This week at night I've been struggling to not give into the sweet tooth, and honestly haven't always won that battle.... Yesterday though I decided to skip my morning Shakeology in order to save it as a dessert for the evening time. Night time came and just a simple shake wasn't going to cut it. So... I whipped these up in just a few minutes and about an hour later enjoyed :-)

Frozen Peanut Butter Shakeology Cups

Ingredients:

Chocolate Shakeology

Water

Peanut Butter

Mix a scoop of Shakeology and about one cup of water in a small bowl until well blended, or you could throw it in the blender and whip it up! Then pour the Shakeology mix into 4 lined muffin tin cups and fill about half way. Set the other half of Shakeology aside. Then take a small spoon of peanut butter, whichever kind you prefer and place in the center of each cupcake. Pour remaining Shakeology mix on top to cover the peanut butter.

Place cupcake tin in the freezer, or outside if you live in the frozen tundra like me, for an hour to an hour and a half. Enjoy this delicious, no cheat, healthy snack!

I don't know about you, but I would much rather eat a frozen peanut butter cup than eat about 5 salads! Which is exactly what you are doing when you drink, or eat in this case, Shakeology!

If you don't currently drink Shakeology and are interested in more info about I would love to share with you about this nutritious and amazing drink!

Oh, and do as I say and not what I do and place the cupcake liners IN the cupcake tray before pouring... Just take my word that it's easier that way ;-)

Aloha! Oh, Wait... I'm in VT Now :-(

It's back to the cold, snowy winter for me! Gone are the days of summer bliss in January, and back in the sub-zero world!

Transitioning back has been a little rough on multiple fronts. Of course it's COLD here, so I'm back to wearing layers, running from the house to the car and staying inside as much as possible. The five hour time change seems harder on this end and so far I've been having a hard time sleeping. Lastly I ate JUNK while flying back, as that was really my only option, and it made me feel like poop!

I started up the 21 Day Fix round 2 on Monday, and I can tell I took a vacation :-) I'm also back to eating healthy, and am already feeling so much better! Honestly even though I wouldn't mind a cookie or some candy when I think about how it made me feel it's not hard to pass it up!

I came home running full speed as far as my online coaching goes. I started up a new accountability group for a super small, dedicated group on Monday. I'm working on another group to start on February 23rd after having multiple people inquire about a group :-) I updated my Facebook profile and cover photo, created an image for the new group and have been getting in touch with those who have shown interest.

I love what I am doing though, and if by putting in all of this hard work may allow me to continue to help support others on their health and fitness journey, while providing me the opportunity to stay home with future kiddos, and someday move to Maui, it's so worth it! Nothing worth having comes easy!

The Thing I Struggle With

I'll be the first to admit that exercise and eating healthy do not come naturally to me. For a few lucky people out there they LOVE and THRIVE on working out each day and eating a clean diet. I, unfortunately, am not one of those few.

So, why do I do it? For many reasons! Throughout high school and my early adulthood I struggled with my body image and would attempt crash diets, severely restricting my calorie intake and picking up a workout program, that I would be faithful for a week or two at, maybe a month if I was lucky. But I pressed on attempting to stay in shape because I wanted to feel good about how I looked and be that 'size' that would make me feel confident.

What I was lacking in all of this though is at least two things, the realization that if I didn't accept and love who I am in Christ I would never be satisfied with the outward image and that what I really needed was a healthy lifestyle, not a crash diet or quick fix.

I'm still a work in progress in the area of living a healthy lifestyle, but feel I have a pretty good handle on the exercise part. I have several Beachbody programs now that I can choose from and have consistently worked out at least five days a week since July.

So, what is the thing that I struggle with?? My diet! I am such a lover of all things SWEET! Be it ice cream, candy, cookies, pie, cake.... It doesn't matter, it just has to be sweet! What I am learning about myself though is that I have no self-control in this area. I often can't just enjoy a cookie or a reasonable slice of something, I tend to over indulge in it.

This year I want to focus more on eating a clean and healthy diet, at least 80% of the time. To get me started off on the right foot I decided to try out the 3 Day Refresh program, to clear my system of the holidays and to give me a boost towards my personal fitness goals. I am currently on day three of this program, and boy am I glad! It's not awful, but it is very limiting on what you can consume outside of Shakeology, Vanilla Refresh and the Fiber Sweep that you take each day. I keep reminding myself that it is ONLY 3 days though, and anyone can do anything for 3 days!

Would I do this program again, even though I'm looking forward to tomorrow? Yes! I'm honestly not hungry at all and do feel better! Plus I'm excited to share with you all my results on Friday :-)

The biggest reason I would do this again is that I know I'll need it. I know there will be times in the future where I choose to indulge in some not so healthy foods for a bit, and this program can help get me back on track after. The other reason I would do it again is that the first time I did the 21 Day Fix eating plan I really struggled with it, and found myself cheating many times! But, after what I've been limited to for these three days I'm looking forward to what I CAN have on the 21 DF plan, and can't wait for some eggs and turkey bacon  ;-)

If you would like to know more about the 3 Day Refresh feel free to contact me and I would love to tell you all about it! I'll be posting my results on Friday, so stay tuned!

A New Year

Wow, so I haven't written on here since BEFORE Thanksgiving! Crazy!

Don't think that means I haven't been working out or eating healthy though! I guess you could say the holidays, leaving my full-time job and re-evaluating my goals and priorities took over and didn't leave me much room or thought for this blog.... But that's about to change!

So, here's a recap of what's happened since I last posted:

I completed the 21 Day Fix program. The top photos are my before, and the bottom photos are the after. Upon a quick inspection you may not notice a whole lot of difference but here are my stats:

Weight: Down 4.2 Pounds

Natural Waist: Down 3/4 in

Widest Waist: Down 3/4 in

Thighs: Down 1 3/4 in between both

I consider that a win, especially considering I did cheat a few times and probably could have pushed myself harder.

All My Siblings, Their Spouses and My Niece

December brought many family gatherings, lots of food, fun and laughter and pretty I much gained back everything I lost doing 21 Day Fix. Once again, though, I'm going to think positively. Had I not have done 21 DF prior to the holidays I probably would have gained at least as much if not more, and been back to what I started at this summer and there is no way I'm going back THERE!

I started up a 30 Day Water Challenge on December 15th, to help encourage and motivate people to drink more water. The group has close to 150 people in it, with many of them getting great results!

So, as I start a New Year and have new goals set before me here is what you can expect:

Complete 3 Day Refresh

Complete 2nd round of 21 Day Fix

Continue to learn more about nutrition and clean eating

Complete PiYo round 2

Post here Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays

Get into the best shape of my life

My BIG goal for the 2015 is to help 150 people begin or continue their health and fitness journey by joining one of my monthly challenge groups!

Do you have some New Years goals, resolutions, dreams or desires? I'd love to hear about them!

The End of 21 Day Fix is Near!!!

I'm heading into the final weekend of the 21 Day Fix program!!! This may be the shortest workout
program I've ever heard of, but it is definitely not the easiest! You have to work harder in so many ways to get the results FAST! You can't skip any workouts or deviate from the meal plan much or else you just won't see results.

I know I haven't been perfect, I've eaten a cookie or two... And then there was those donuts... Gaaahhh! BUT I'm still working hard, I haven't missed a workout and this week I chose to do the doubles program where you do two workouts a day. It hasn't been easy, but nothing in life is! If you want results you have to work for them.

I'll be glad when the intensity of this program is done, but that doesn't mean I won't return to it in the future. I LOVE that all the workouts are 30 minutes, but that you can get a lot of work done in that little bit of time. The meal plan really isn't bad at all, just doesn't allow for many cheats or real treats during the 21 days. Overall I'm glad I revisited this program and worked harder to get through it to the best of my ability. I will definitely post before and after photos and stats come Sunday or Monday after I complete it, in case you are interested in knowing how I really did.

See you then!

Some Yummy Kale Recipes

Before this summer, my options for vegetables were limited... I really didn't care for them very much, and honestly now that I know more about the different food groups I realize that the sweet potatoes, corn and potatoes that were often my go to veggies, really aren't the veggies my body needs. So, in an effort to eat better I've tried, and liked, several new veggies like Asparagus, Brussels Sprouts and
Cauliflower.

As I wrap up my final week of 21 Day Fix I decided I needed to discover something new to eat for veggies, as I am starting to get tired of my limited selection. So, this week when I was at the fruit and veggie stand I noticed Kale, which I've heard is super good for you. So, I picked some up, having NO idea what I would do with it. Yesterday I tried out a couple recipes that were pretty good and thought I would share them with you all :-)

Bacon, Kale and Cheese Omelette

2 Eggs,

2 Slices of Bacon (I used Turkey Bacon)

Kale

1/8 Cup Cheese (your choice)

Cook bacon in a small fry pan and set aside to chop up, but leave the grease. Wash, dry and break Kale into small pieces. Saute in bacon grease for 3-4 minutes until tender and then set aside. Clean out pan and coat with olive oil. Place two scrambled eggs in the pan and cook on one side. After flipping it over add bacon, kale and your choice of cheese. Finish cooking and enjoy!

Kale Chips

Kale

Olive Oil

Garlic Salt

Preheat oven to 275. Wash, dry and break kale into small pieces, discarding the ribs. Spread out pieces on a baking sheet. Using an oil mister lightly spray kale with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic salt on top. Place in the oven for 20 minutes, flipping half way through, and cooking until crisp. Enjoy this healthy alternative to chips as a snack or with a meal.

Do you have an favorite kale recipes that I should try out?? Leave the recipe or a link in the comments if you do, as I'm always looking for new things to try :-) 

Don't Beat Yourself Up Over It! Jump Back In! (And Other Lessons I Learned Eating A Donut)

I'll start right off today admitting I didn't do so well yesterday :-/ Yes, I completed my workout! BUT... I also ate 2 donut holes, a whole donut and a cookie... Oops! That wasn't on the eating plan!!

Looking back over my day, I can easily identify the problem, too bad I didn't see it before the sugar craving set in! First I I didn't eat breakfast, then for lunch I only had my Shakeology. For dinner I had some yummy chicken and zucchini fries... Sounds good, right?? So, what's the problem? I didn't eat enough! I didn't have my breakfast, I didn't have my fruits, I didn't have all my veggies... So, all that added up left me hungry!

When I'm hungry I don't usually crave healthy options, but instead sugar, chocolate and all things yummy! So, when I felt the need to eat something a little while after dinner I ate all the things I could see, which was donuts and a cookie. Thankfully in the big scheme of things I only had one cookie, and out of the 7 dozen donuts I only had 2 holes and one donut!

So, with all that being said, I'm not giving up! It's a small set back in my diet, but overall I feel like I'm doing well considering this is the most restrictive eating plan I've ever followed!

 I tell you all of this because I know many of you have ended up where I did yesterday, hungry and desperate for the foods you crave. Sometimes it's easy to say no and stick with your goals but other days it's not so easy. Don't beat yourself up over it though! Don't quit or give up! Don't think that it's a complete fail! Tomorrow is a new day, a new opportunity to make healthy choices and work towards your goal and you better believe that's exactly what I'm doing!!

I will leave you today with the Zucchini Fries recipe :-)

Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries

2 Medium Zucchini

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon of dried basil

1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder

Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare zucchini by washing, cut in half and then cut the halves lengthwise into quarters. Place on a non stick pan. I placed my olive oil in my oil spritzer and sprayed the zucchini but you can also drizzle it on. 

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle on top of the zucchini. I found that a lot of it fell to the sides, so I just took each piece of zucchini and dipped it into the excess to really coat each piece.

Place in the over and bake on 350 for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Then broil for an additional 3-4 minutes, until crispy and brown. Enjoy!

PS I'm not saying donuts or cookies are evil and never to be consumed :-) They just aren't on the particular eating plan I'm trying to follow, and I'm really trying to work on moderation!!!

And So Week 2 Begins!

Week two day one is done! That means I'm 1/3 of the way to completing this program! It also means I only have to do Total Body Cardio Fix one more time!!! And that makes me most excited, as I think it's the hardest workout of all 7 of them.

 Yesterday I was creative with my meals again, and didn't really follow my meal plan. Instead I just kept track of what containers I had used and what I had left. For lunch I had a tasty salad with chicken. Dinner included seasoned steak, zucchini fries and a small baked potato. One thing I didn't do well was actually eating all of my containers, and I did eat a small homemade granola bar :-/ I was making them for the hubby, as he is gone for 3 days for training for his new job, and I just couldn't resist!!!

Otherwise the day was uneventful... I'm on a stretch of working 10 nights in a row and am excited that once I'm done this stretch of working I will only have 4 days left of this workout program! And I'm excited that Thanksgiving is AFTER I've completed 21 Day Fix and so it's something else to look forward too and focus on when I'm craving something right now.

If you've ever done a really strict workout and meal plan before what helped you get through it? What did you do to stay focused and on track and not give into skipping a day or eating food not on your list?? Leave a comment below to share your helpful tips and tricks!

PS I wore my PiYo shirt for my workout today, and I think it was confused about why I was doing 21 Day Fix :-) I shall remedy that problem when I complete this workout program and get my 21 Day Fix shirt!

First Week of 21 Day Fix, DONE!

If you are just reading this blog you may want to look back over the last couple days, as I have been blogging about my experience about completing the workout program 21 Day Fix.

I just finished up my first weekend of the 21 Day Fix. It's definitely harder to stay on track during the weekend, but overall my planning seemed to pay off!

I was gone to an over-night retreat with our youth group girls Fri-Sat, and packed all my meals and snacks to bring with me. That was a good thing as they had Chocolate Chip Pie with Ice Cream and Hot Fudge! I managed to resist the urge to eat them and instead had some fruit, which was pretty good! Fruit is becoming my new desert, along with Shakeology.

Throughout the weekend it was so HARD to keep from eating every sweet I saw! I don't know why it was so much harder than the rest of the week, but it was! I'll admit I stole a couple of candy corn and switched out a few of my containers for a small slice of homemade pizza, but overall I resisted, even though in the moment it was not fun!

Having the freedom of switching around what my meals were, as long as I stuck with the containers and right portions, is so HELPFUL! I like having the meal plan to give me ideas of what to have and not have to think about it if I don't want, but sometimes when it comes time to eat don't want what's on the list.

I'm finally not feeling so sore! I can walk up and down the stairs without having to clutch the railing for fear that my legs would give out and I might come crashing down! The massage my awesome husband gave me on Saturday may have helped with this a bit ;-)

One week of this workout is officially done and only 14 days to go! (I even have the hubby reminding me how many days left, in order to encourage me to stick with it.)

In A Rut... Day 4

So, Day 4 out of 21 is about to come to a close as I write this.

My workout this morning was Pilates, which wasn't easy but a good recovery day as I am still SORE!

This morning I was craving a good breakfast so I rearranged my menu plan for the day to include an egg, turkey bacon, whole grain waffle and cooked strawberries on top. It was DELICIOUS and totally helped with my sweet cravings.

I ate the rest of my planned meals, slightly altered, and nothing too exciting. Tonight however  I was dying for something sweet... So badly that I ate 1 pumpkin candy corn.... Yes, I went there :-/ Good things is I was really able to eat just one, so that's progress!

To help with this craving I decided to switch up my Shakeology to help get me through the rest of the night, so I prepared this:

Chocolate Minty Shakeology

1 Scoop Chocolate Shakeology

4oz. Water

5 Ice Cubes

2-3 Drops Peppermint Extract

Place Shakeology and water in the blender, blend about 30 seconds. Add ice cubes and peppermint and blend until smooth. Enjoy this perfect holiday treat!

And that was about my day, nothing too exciting, but not too bad either!

And I Thought I Was Sore Yesterday...

Day 3 out of 21!

So, on Tuesday I was lamenting about how sore I was... I blamed it on the week of rest I took after running my half-marathon, and doing different exercises now that running isn't monopolizing my workout time. Those are both probably factors, but I think I'm also just really pushing myself and giving it my all.

Anyway, I woke up yesterday with a whole lotta sore going on. Those additional 3 lbs on my weights made a huge difference! Honestly I didn't want to workout... I just wanted to catch up on sleep, as I was done nights for the week, and curl up in a ball and feel sorry for myself that I didn't get to eat any of the yumminess at a work party. I mean, come on, I had to bake chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin muffins and I didn't get to eat any of them! That is just torture for this gurl!

But you know what?? I didn't climb into bed with a box of tissues. Instead I put on my shoes, headed down to the basement and gave my leg workout my all! So much so they felt like JELL-O, just like my arms did the day before. Then I made the dinner I had on the menu, a taco salad :-)

Do you know why I was able to do this?? Because I have a 'why,' a reason that keeps me motivated when I feel like throwing in the towel. I don't do this just for the fun of it. Who am I kidding? Not much of this is fun right now... But I do it because I want to lead my groups by example! I have 7 women who chose to join me on this journey this month, and when I encourage them to push themselves, to give it their all when they want to give up, I don't want to be a hypocrite! I feel so honored that they would allow me to support them, and I don't want to fail them.

My other reason is to prove to myself that I can do it. When I did PiYo I didn't follow the eating plan 100%. I did eat much better than I ever had before, but I had my fair share of treats. I struggle so much with having self-control and sticking with things I start, and I want to grow in those areas! So that means sometimes having to watch others eat lots of yummy things while I munch on some carrots or grapes. It means going down to the basement when I'm not sure I'll be able to climb back up the stairs at the end :-) But really, at the end of the day this program is only 21 days, and it's really not that bad! The areas I will grow in by sticking with this will help in the big picture of living a healthy and active lifestyle.

So, I will keep pressing on for the next 18 days and lay my heart, soul and sweat on the basement floor!