3 Ways To Survive Holiday Parties

This time of year it’s so hard to think about weight loss of even maintaining - that was my goal going into December but it's left me feeling like poop. With all the parties, events, special seasonal treats, and food gifts it’s so easy to convince myself that I’ll just do better in January, restart with those 2020 resolutions.

But if you follow me on social media you know that  I’m done with putting off feeling great, so here’s to day 3 of being back on eating food that leaves me feeling awesome AFTER! And choosing my treats.

So how do we navigate the season and not miss out?

Here’s three things I’m going to start implementing.

1. Neither starve nor binge before a party. Sometimes we believe that lie that we can save up all our calories and then go all out at dinner, this is not a good plan! Or maybe we swing the opposite and throw the whole day away knowing we will be treating ourselves that night. Instead I'm going to eat my normal healthy foods, maybe even eat dinner at home before I go and choose my 1-2 favorite treats and have them in reasonable portions.

2. When appropriate offer to bring a salad, that way I always know I have at least one solid go to food that I can feel good about. What host doesn't love the offer to bring food to share?! So it's a win win!

3. Finally, make it less about the food and more about the people. Don’t stand around the serving tables, instead move the conversations away from the food and tune more into the people I’m surrounded by. I went to the part to socialize didn't I? So I don't need to make it about the food.

I'd love to hear your go to ways of not allowing parties and get togethers to derail you in the comments below.

Filled with Hope,

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,

5 Ways To Have A Healthier Pregnancy

When I got pregnant with my first little guy, I thought I had it in the bag when it came to "healthy pregnancy." I already had good habits of exercising regularly, drank a superfood shake which acted as my prenatal vitamin, and was semi-good about clean eating.

BUT 47 pounds later, lots of swelling, an 8lb 11oz baby boy that took me four hours to push out (without medication mind you), and I wasn't so sure I had this clean eating thing in the bag.

This second pregnancy I look and feel much better. My midwife is always commenting about how great I'm looking, that baby is smaller (she feels my body would do better delivering a slightly smaller babe), and is comfortable with me going longer between my appointments, so long as things continue to go well.

So, what did I do different this time? Here are 5 things that came to mind!

1. I was in better shape BEFORE I got pregnant the second time. I was probably in the best shape of my life and the healthiest version of me I've ever been. If you are already pregnant, this one isn't going to help you, but keep it in mind if you plan to have more kiddos.


2. I learned the art of meal planning and prepping my food ahead of time. We all know how intense pregnancy cravings can be. When you're craving something unhealthy, it's hard to resists in the moment, but when you prep your meals and snacks ahead of time, food that is delicious and nutritious, satisfying cravings can be easy and quick AND healthy.


3. Exercise! I exercised throughout my whole pregnancy with Toby, BUT what I didn't do was follow a specific program/plan. I kind of did the whole, "Today I feel like a dance cardio workout, and ummm... 10 minutes is plenty!" This time I found out I was pregnant on week 5 of an intense 6-week program where I followed the meal plan and workouts to a T. That helped launch me into a successful healthy pregnancy. Since then I've completed a 12-week, 25 minutes a day cardio focused program, and just recently started a 12-week strength training program. I'm also walking about 30 minutes a day pushing Toby in the jogger.


4. Yoga. I was never a fan of yoga in the past, but last July I forced myself to only do yoga for 3 weeks to see what I could gain from it. Throughout this pregnancy, I've done some prenatal yoga workouts and also a lower back pain routine whenever my lower back hurts, and—take it from me—it works!


5. Hydration. With my first pregnancy I was pretty good at this, but I only drank water (nothing wrong with that, but there are no electrolytes to help replenish my body after my workouts). This time I've also been drinking an all natural hydration drink during my workouts that not only tastes yummy but is good for me and the baby.

All of these things I believe have helped me maintain a slower, lower, healthier weight gain, on top of keeping swelling to a minimum. Overall, I feel loads better!

Now if I could just convince my body to sleep through the night ;-)

Hope this was helpful! If you have had more than one pregnancy and found the later one to be healthier, I'd love for you to share what you think was different.

If you'd like to know more about the workout routines I've been doing, where I access my yoga, or more about that amazing hydration drink, feel free to drop your email below or contact me above <3

Filled with HOPE,

Meal Prep: Take 2 – With Limes This Time!

You guys!!!

That first four days of meal prep I did last week was SO NICE I jumped into round two on Thursday. Below is photographic proof of how much this mom rocked it!

So what made it so nice? Well, even though the prepping itself can easily take 2-3 hours, depending on what you make and how much, once you're prepped you're prepped. No more scrambling 30 minutes before meal times trying to figure out what to eat. It is WORTH it!!

So, here's what I made for the next 4 days. If you read my last post (How To Meal Prep When You Don't Meal Prep) you might recall that I doubled up two different menus, as in I eat the same thing on Thursday and Saturday and eat another option Friday and Monday.

New Recipes I used:

Instant Pot Chili Lime Chicken

Baked Chili Lime Potato Chips



Thursday/Saturday Meals

Breakfast: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen spinach, 1 cup water and Chocolate Shakeology.

Snack: 1/2 large apple with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter.

Lunch/Afternoon Snacks: 1 cup lettuce, 3/4 cup shredded Lime Cilantro Chicken, 1/2 cup black beans 1 tablespoon oil based dressing along with 2 hard boiled eggs.

Dinner: 1 lean hamburger patty served with lettuce and tomato (not pictured for freshness), choice of cheese, baked sweet potato fries (mine were Okinawan so they are purple), mixed veggies of zucchini and carrots.



Friday/Monday Meals

Breakfast: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen spinach, 2 teaspoons of peanut butter, 1 cup water and Chocolate Shakeology. (I seriously love it that much! If you want to try it for yourself feel free to contact me through my email at the top of the blog.)

Snack: 2 eggs cooked your favorite way, can add veggies and make a scramble or omelet.

Lunch/Afternoon Snacks: 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup cut up strawberries and blueberries combined, 1/4 cup feta, 1 tablespoon oil based dressing along, chili lime baked potato chips, carrots.

Snack: 3/4 cup 2% plain yogurt with a few blueberries and strawberries.

Dinner: Shishkabobs made of chicken marinated in lime juice, zucchini, tomato and pineapple, baked diced potatoes with your choice of seasonings, steamed broccoli with 1/4 cup cheese.

If you're wondering, what is up with all the lime? Well, there is a good reason. A friend of mine has a lime tree and so she has more limes than she can spare. She gave me over a dozen, and so for this meal prep I Googled all things lime to use what I had been given but also add some different flavors to the prepared meals. It worked splendidly!

If you have any questions about my meal prepping game, the Shift Shop program, or any of the recipes or links above, feel free to comment below or contact me <3

How To Meal Prep When You Don't Meal Prep

I am not by nature a meal planner/prepper even though I encourage my clients to do so—yep, I went there!

Truth is, my biggest struggle is the food! I LOVE all things sugar and carbs and it takes me great discipline to stay on track with a healthy, clean eating plan that has little to none of those things in it.

So when I go "all in" and fully commit to a fitness program and eating plan it requires me to do things I don't normally do. In this case, it was meal prepping.

In order to make it a bit more fun, I snagged the Instant Pot on Amazon when it was on sale for Prime Day along with ordering some Bento Boxes to make my food look like the professionals.

This is what I got: (affiliate links)

• Instant Pot DUO80 7-in-1 Multi-Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, 8 Qt | Stainless Steel
• [20 Pack] 3 Compartment Meal Prep Containers BPA Free Portion Control Bento Boxes (39 Oz.)

With these items, it seemed as though I could conquer the WORLD, or at least the food prep world. Even though when I started out I was COMPLETELY unorganized. I hadn't nailed down exactly what I was going to eat each day, but I had purchased plenty of options to fit into the Shift Shop eating plan so it was just a matter of portioning things out.

So, with Google in hand, I put my new Instant Pot to work cooking sweet potatoes, eggs, and broccoli.

Recipes:

• Hardboiled Eggs Using The High Pressure Recipe
• Sweet Potatoes - Will warn you that the 2 that were on the smaller size became MUSH, but the 2 true medium sized ones came out perfect!
• Broccoli - pretty basic, but I didn't know how long to cook. Remember I JUST got my Instant Pot!
• The only other recipe I used to make my meal was for sweet potato chips!

If you're dying to know what I made, here we go!

Keep in mind I am in the "A" plan for the Shift Shop, which for week 1 is 3 veggies, 2 fruits, 4 proteins, 2 carbs, 2 teaspoon, 1 healthy fat, and 1 seeds and dressing.

To make it easier I started with 4 days worth, but doubled up two different menus, as in I eat the same thing Monday and Wednesday and eat another option Tuesday and Thursday.

Monday/Wednesday Meals

Breakfast: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen spinach, 1 cup water and Chocolate Shakeology.

Snack: 3/4 Cup 2% plain yogurt with a few blueberries and strawberries.

Lunch/Afternoon Snacks: 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup cut up strawberries and blueberries combined, 1/4 cup feta, 1 tablespoon oil based dressing along with 2 hard boiled eggs and 1/2 cup grapes, sweet potato chips from 1 medium potato.

Dinner: 1 serving of grilled chicken, 1 cup cooked broccoli, 1/2 large sweet potato with cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of butter.

(The other allotted teaspoon I account for extra virgin olive oil I used for cooking my chicken and sweet potato chips in.)

Tuesday/Thursday Meals

Breakfast: 1/2 frozen banana, 1 cup frozen spinach, 1 cup water and Chocolate Shakeology. (I seriously love it that much! If you want to try it for yourself feel free to contact me through my email at the top of the blog :-) )

Snack: 3/4 cup 2% plain yogurt with a few blueberries and strawberries. (Mostly the same because I want to use up the yogurt before it goes bad ;-) )

Lunch/Afternoon Snacks: 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup black beans, 1 serving grilled chicken, 1 tablespoon oil based dressing, 1/4 avocado (not pictured because I like it fresh), along with 1 cup of grapes.

Dinner: 1 serving of grilled steak, 1 cup sauteed zucchini, 1/2 large sweet potato with cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of butter.

(The other allotted teaspoon I accounted for on my steak before grilling and when I sauteed the zucchini.)

And there you have it! It's not too fancy, but all the meals are full of flavor and super yummy!

I also went ahead and made my husband these same meals (with his permission of course). In order to make it easy for us to grab food from the fridge, I used a dry erase marker and wrote on the top of each lid: name, meal, and day.

My plan is to do the next 3-4 days of prep on Thursday to round out the week. I may or may not pick two new meals for those days just to change things up. If I do new ones you better believe I'll share it with you!

So there you have it, my easy, simple, but delicious meal prep for Shift Shop. Having those cute containers to pull out of the fridge today really helped me stay on track 100% for day one.

If you have any questions about my meal prepping game, the Shift Shop program, or any of the recipes or links I shared above feel free to comment below or contact me <3

Blueberry & Avocado Muffins - Toddler Approved

I've been on the hunt recently for food that Toby can eat on his own, as he's proven very independent
when it comes to eating. I'm by no means a perfect mom but I do try to give him wholesome food when I can. Last week I was gifted a dozen avocados from my landlords uncle, and so I went on a mission to find a good recipe to use them in.

I cam across this Blueberry Avocado Mini Muffins at Baby Foode and adapted it to make it work for us.
Blueberry & Avocado Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flower
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 ripe organic avocado, seeded and peeled (I used 1 1/2 because they were on the small side)
1/3 cup organic coconut sugar (original recipe called for 1/2 cup of organic raw sugar)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup plain whole fat yogurt [I used  Fage]
1 pint or 1 1/4 cup organic blueberries (I used frozen)

Heat oven to 375 and spray or line a regular or mini muffin tin.

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, scoop out avocado, discarding seed, and beat until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and beat well. Beat in egg until completely combined. Add vanilla, yogurt and cinnamon and blend well.

Pour in the flour mixture 1/3 at a time, mixing until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Spoon into muffin tin, filling 3/4 way to the top.

Bake for 15 minutes for mini muffins (check to be sure they are done mine took longer) or 25-30 minutes for regular muffins, or until toothpick domes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before transitioning to rack.
Makes 36 mini muffins or 12 regular muffins. Store in air-tight container on counter for 1 week (I stored in the fridge due to how quickly food spoils here in HI)

*I did notice my batter seemed to be pretty thick and upon doing a little research it looks like it may be due to the coconut sugar as it absorbs a lot of water. They still came out fine, just an fyi :-)

Toby loves them, he is able to eat them fine with only 2 teeth and the only downside is the mess he makes ;-)

Let me know if you try these for yourself or your little one and how you liked it!

5 Reasons To Workout With Your Spouse

I've heard it said, "Couples who sweat together stay together." I'm not sure if that's totally true—and
honestly I can think of some other factors that may be more important to keep a marriage alive and thriving—BUT I did come up with 5 reasons you should consider working out with your spouse.

Here they are in no particular order

1. Help In The Kitchen

I can tell you from personal experience if you and your spouse aren't on the same eating plan it's tough to stay strong. I do best when I keep my pantry and fridge free of foods I'm not eating as they just become a huge temptation in moments of weakness. In order to do that though you need to have your spouse on board with your eating plan.

Since they say diet is 80% of your results having a partner to help you will greatly increase your results and ability to stick with it, plus it saves time preparing more than one meal. One way to get my hubby on board was to utilize the Fixate cookbook along with the recipes found on Beachbody On Demand. (Think Netflix for workouts). There are lots of yummy desert recipes that we have both enjoyed as a treat including cake with chocolate frosting, peanut butter chocolate balls and peanut butter bars.

2. Checking Your Form

Working out alone at home is great. I love that I don't have to pack up and get to the gym, figure out childcare or what I'm going to wear. One thing I have found difficult though is checking my form without the assistance of mirrored walls like many gyms have. When I learn a new move I have a hard time figuring out if I'm doing it right, which is important in order to protect your back and also maximize your results.

When Jake is around it's easy for me to be able to ask him if my back is straight, if I'm doing it the same way as in the video, and he let's me know when I start sagging towards the end of my plank. In return I can do the same for him.

3. Sticking With It

Do you ever have those days where you just don't feel like it? Where you convince yourself that you've "worked hard this week" and you "deserve a day of rest?" When no one is expecting you to workout at a certain time, meet them at the gym or see you in class it's easy to make excuses.

My first method of remedying that are the online accountability groups that I host, but having Jake to workout with me is an added push. If I'm not feeling up to it I know he'll encourage me to stick with my goals and do it. When he wants to stay in bed and skip out I can drag him to join me ;-)

4. The Next Generation

It's important to me to set a good example to my kiddos of what healthy habits are including working out, eating healthy food to fuel our bodies and making activity a fun part of our life. While doing this alone would probably be a good example, how much better is it for them to see mom AND dad doing this?

Being healthy and fit isn't just about looking good in a swimsuit in the summer or for special occasion, for me it's a lifestyle! Having a partner that also demonstrates this healthy lifestyle will make it the normal thing for kids instead of one option.

5. Together Is Better

Let's face it, life is busy! It's easy to get caught up in the busyness and not make time for your spouse. If one of you is already working out but the other isn't then that's time you have to spend apart. If you choose to workout together you gain more time together.

Working out together means opportunities to encourage and push one another, to remind each other of your goals, to support and help motivate one another on your journey together!

Do you workout with your partner? If not would you like to?

The Best Gift Ever - The Story of Toby

When Jake and I were engaged we discussed when would be a good time to start a family. We both came to the table thinking two years sounded good. So that was the plan. We were both young, had no major health issues, and we didn't think it would take long to conceive.

Unfortunately we were wrong.

Three years after getting married? Still no baby. A friend of mine shared that a doctor had recommended she go on a gluten free and dairy free diet in order to help conceive. I had no reason to think this would work for me, but I wanted to feel like I was doing something to help the process, so it was worth a shot.

My gluten free/dairy free diet lasted two weeks. lol! It was Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory that did me in. We took a tour with some friends and the free ice cream at the end was too much to resist. Oh well. I figured I'd start the gluten/dairy free diet again the next month. Maybe then we'd get pregnant.

Here we were at the end of September, which is the lead-up to Jake's birthday on October 2. In our family we don't celebrate birthDAYs; we celebrate birthWEEKs! The birthday boy or girl gets a week of special attention—little gifts here and there, fun activities, special meals, and such.

Well, this particular year I FAILED! Like big time. On Monday night of his birthday week I apologized for not planning anything. He was a little disappointed.

So that night as I was praying I could only think of one way to make up for his birthday week. One thing that might put me back into my husband's good graces—if I found out we were expecting. So I prayed that I would be pregnant, and that if I was I would remember to take a pregnancy test in the morning.

Keep in mind I had NO reason to believe I would be. I hadn't had any symptoms or anything, it was more of a wish than a real possibility.

The next morning I remembered to take the test. It had two lines. I had never had two lines before. This must be some mistake. So I took another one. And then another. They all had two lines. According to these tests I was pregnant!

Now to figure out how to tell Jake.

I knew it would be a big surprise after having tried for a year, so I spent two days planning it all while keeping the whole thing a secret. Yikes, how did I even do that?

Since we were planning to move to Maui in just a few months I thought I would take him on a trip down memory lane to special places from when we were dating.

• Our church, where he first asked me out.
• The local pizza place where we used to share a plate of spaghetti almost every week.
• The bench where we had a serious conversation about whether we wanted to "get serious" about our relationship.

Our final stop was at Harvey's Lake in Barnet, VT, the place where we first hung out, where he first told me he loved me, and where he proposed.

It only made sense that this be the place where I told him we were pregnant.

I parked in the lot and had him put my scarf over his eyes. He waited in the car while I went out to the lake shore and set up his camera and tripod, along with the pink and blue balloons I had purchased earlier that day. Then I led him out there and, well... the rest is on camera...

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!

Healthier Banana Oat Muffins & Cafe Mocha Shakeology

I've gotten in the habit of utilizing google to find my healthy recipes, but then sometimes I can't remember which one I loved and so I thought if I share them in here I would have them for later!

This morning it's a drizzly day, as hurricane Madeline is making her way towards Hawaii. So, that means it's the perfect day for baking and I had a hankering for some banana oat muffins and here's what I found!

Healthier Banana Oat Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted coconut oil (if you life in HI it's always melted ;-) )
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 and best if overripe!)
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (can use milk of choice)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup old fashioned oats plus some extra to sprinkle on top
1 teaspoon granulated sugar for sprinkling on top

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 and prepare muffin tins (grease, cupcake liners or nothing if a non-stick pan).

In a large bowl, whisk together coconut oil and maple syrup or honey. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in mashed bananas and milk and then add baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.

Add the flour and oats to mixture and stir with a large spoon, just until combined.

Divide the batter evenly, filling each cup about two-thirds full - for me that was 15 cups. Sprinkle the tops of muffins with a few oats and some sugar. Bake from 23-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

Allow to cool on wire rack and then enjoy!

I paired my muffin with my Shakeology for a mid-morning snack - here is the recipe I used!

Cafe Mocha Shakeology

Ingredients:

5 ice cubes
8 oz. unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 scoop chocolate Shakeology
1/2 scoop cafe latte Shakeology

Optional:
1 scoop Focused Energy for a morning pick me up!

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in blender, blend on high (or a setting for ice) until smooth. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy one or both of these recipe! If you are interested in getting Shakeology to try my Cafe Mocha Shakeology please comment below or use the contact me button at the top of the page!

Happy mid-morning snacking!

Groaning Muffins Recipe - Perfect For Labor & Breastfeeding

I sit here writing from my rocking chair, just days away from my due date and waiting on my little guy to decide to make his grand appearance.

Waiting isn't easy. When they tell you that the last month of pregnancy is the LONGEST, believe them! It's a whole new game when you get to that point - you don't know when it's going to happen, you are usually the most uncomfortable you've been the entire pregnancy, and if you are especially lucky you may be experiencing "pregnancy insomnia." It's a lovely condition that convinces your brain that even though you were tired at 9pm, you really don't need to fall asleep before 5am.

So, as I sit here rocking away and passing the time I thought I would write a few blog posts sharing some of the things I've done to prepare for labor and delivery.

First off I wanted to share this recipe I found for Groaning Muffins. They say it's a great food to have on hand to give you long lasting energy during labor, a go-to snack while breastfeeding and something you can easily pull out of the freezer. The original recipe can be found at Nourishing Joy, but the recipe below is what I used based on ingredients I had on hand and pregnancy brain ;-)

GROANING MUFFINS

24 Regular Sized Muffins

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon + cinnamon (I am notorious for adding extra cinnamon to everything!)
1 1/2 cups peeled, grated apple (about 1 very large apple or two small apples)
1/2 cup very finely chopped walnuts
1 large carrot, finely grated
1/4 cup finely chopped craisins (could sub with dates or raisins but I prefer craisins)
4 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled but still liquid (if you live in HI it's always liquid ;-) )
1/2 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350° and grease muffin tins.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then stir in the grated apple, nuts, carrots, and craisins. Then add in lightly beaten eggs, pumpkin, coconut oil, maple syrup and honey. Stir until mixed well.

The batter should be quite stiff and when you put it in the muffin tins it will be lumpy and thick (best done with two spoons). If it’s so stiff it’s unable to be mixed, however, stir in a bit of orange juice or milk. Bake until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Approximately 22-26 minutes for muffins.

I happened to be babysitting when I made them, and the little guy I was looking after FORCED me to share 2 ;-) So these muffins are mommy and toddler approved! The great thing about these muffins is that you can prepare them ahead of time and pop them in the freezer until go time, no worries of them spoiling before you go into labor, OR you can just enjoy them and make more if you've eaten them all before baby arrives!

Let me know if you tried them and how you liked them?

How To Build An Online Health & Fitness Business While Pregnant

The whole reason I decided to build an online business was because I wanted to stay home with my future kiddos. It has always been my dream to be a stay at home mom, but the reality is it's hard to survive on one income these days, especially if you move to a place like Maui.

Even though I began my business before I was pregnant I have continued to grow and build it throughout my pregnancy. In fact, since getting pregnant I've gotten my biggest paychecks, I've added more coaches to my team, and I've helped more people reach their own health and fitness goals.

Maybe you are already pregnant and are looking for a way to stay home when that little one arrives, or maybe you want to plan ahead for that eventual baby. Here is my advice.

1. Be consistent!

If you want something to grow you have to nurture it regularly. Just like a seedling would need water, weeding, sunlight and maybe some Miracle–Gro, your new business is going to need your time, dedication and willingness to implement what you learn.

2. Do what you can!

Maybe starting out with a program like Insanity isn't the best idea, but there are plenty of programs that you could utilize to market your business, help you keep in shape, and give you an edge on the bounce back after delivery.

3. Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition!

If all else fails you can focus on your nutrition. Maybe your doctor won't clear you for exercise, but I bet he would clear you for eating nutritious foods, drinking Shakeology (both my doctor and midwife approved of drinking it as part of my prenatal supplements), and whipping up some creative nutritious recipes you could share with your customers.

4. Don't limit yourself!

I believe that if you go into this thinking you won't be successful because you won't have an immediate transformation story, you are setting yourself for failure. However, if you go into this with an attitude of helping people and inspiring others with your own personal journey, you are much more likely to find success.

5. Consider the bounce back opportunity!

If people are watching and aware of your healthy pregnancy, you better believe they will be watching when you get back to an exercise routine after your little one arrives. Use that opportunity! Talk about it, invite other mommy friends to join you in it, and expect that when you are consistent with your exercise and nutrition you will get results. When others see those results they will want to get those results too.

So whether you are already pregnant, thinking or trying to get pregnant, or maybe you already have kids, I would love to share this opportunity with you. You can fill out this application to help me see if this business is a good fit for you and your goals! 

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Why I Went Gluten & Dairy Free For 15 Days

I've said before, both on here and on my Facebook page, that I tend to jump into things, but that thankfully I usually have pretty good judgment, even if I don't do my fact checking.

Well, today I wanted to share an amazing story that I believe played a part in the fact that I am now 22 weeks pregnant.

When Jake and I got married we planned to wait two years before we started having kiddos. We felt that it was important to lay a strong foundation between the two of us before we added to our family. That was a good decision for us because our marriage struggled a lot for the first year and a half or so.

When our two year anniversary had come and gone we decided we were ready to bring on some kiddos. We expected to get pregnant fairly quickly, I mean, we were both young, healthy, and it should be easy, right?!

Well after about six months we learned about some complications that required me to go on medication if we wanted to be successful at starting a family. The medication put my hormones in a tailspin and made me CRAZY! So after going through the initial treatment we decided not to ingest me with any more drugs. The medication was stressing me out too much and putting too much strain on our marriage.

However, by NOT taking the medication we knew we were running the risk of possibly never conceiving at all, which was a hard pill to swallow—no pun intended.

In June I made a sweet new friend. I had known her husband for years, but they lived in Texas and so I had never met her. Over the next couple of months we chatted back and forth and then spoke on the phone. In our conversation she shared how they were also having trouble conceiving and that a doctor had told her to go on a dairy and gluten free diet. This included eating three eggs a day.

The diet sounded better than medication, and though I had no way of knowing whether it would help me in my specific situation, following the eating plan at least made me feel like I was doing something.

So starting September 1 I followed this eating plan strictly for about 15 days, and then we visited the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory and... well, they had ice cream there. Who could resist? I kept up with the diet loosely for the next week or so before deciding I would just start it again the next month.

But I never did start it again, because on September 28 I found out that I was pregnant!

I don't know why some people say this diet can help you conceive other than gluten really seems to affect some people's hormones. All I know is that it worked for me. I 100% believe it was not a coincidence that this girl and I became friends when we did, or that she chose to share this eating plan with me. It was a God thing and I am thankful for it and for her!

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!

Apes, Elephants & Dancing

At one point or another I have looked like an ape or an elephant attempting to dance. I am NOT a
dancer. I don't have very good rhythm and I'm not the most coordinated person in the world. When it comes to dancing, I'm pretty stiff (blame it on being raised a "baptist"), but I pushed through week one and two of Cize, a new workout by Shaun T., and, wouldn't you know it, I'm starting to look and feel like someone who knows how to dance.

Once you have completed week three of Cize you will have learned all six dances. (That is if you choose the advanced version, which this non-dancing, uncoordinated ape/elephant/girl was able to do!) Looking back, what I thought was "hard" in week one is now a breeze. Week one truly was a foundation week. You learn basic choreography that Shaun T. builds on in the coming weeks.

After week one, the difficulty of the dance moves advances. Shaun T. takes the very basic movements you learned and adds more complicated sequences and speed. The dance titled "In The Pocket" was ANYTHING but in my pocket! lol! I honestly wasn't sure that I was going to have it nailed by the end of the week, but on the last day I finally felt like it came together for me.

Week three was slightly more intricate and advanced than week two, however, for the most part, I didn't find the dances that much harder to grasp. At this point I had become quite familiar with many of the moves, and following the rhythm was a bit easier. My favorite dance by far is the very last one, not that it's easy, but it's a lot of fun, and it's done to the song "Chandelier," which is a great song to dance to!

Now here I am in the final week where Shaun T. has you go back and do each dance one more time, and I am even more excited about sharing this program! Why? Because it truly is a fun workout! I haven't lifted weights, done squats or any other exercise, and yet I am losing inches and pounds and feel strong. My coordination has improved and I don't feel like a bumbling ape/elephant anymore. I know I'm still a little stiff and some of my moves are awkward, but I'm having fun!

This is such a great program for people who struggle with not enjoying exercise because Shaun T. keeps you so focussed on following along and learning the steps that you don't really feel like you are "working out."

It's also a great program to get your teen or child involved with. If you live in the northeast, like I do, winter is LONG, and we New Englanders tend to put on the pounds, but a program like this can get the whole family moving and having fun together. Maybe we will even have to have a specific accountability group for families that want to take on the Cize challenge together! (Just don't be jealous of my photos from the beach when, Lord willing, the hubs and I move to Maui in January!)

If you are interested in getting this program or have any specific questions, as always feel free to contact me through the link above, leave a comment or find me on Facebook!

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.

So You Think You Can Dance? NO!

I can't dance! I won't even pretend I can. But what I can do is follow a program called CIZE, memorize some moves, and make a fun video, all while burning lots of calories and having fun.

This video was made in Six Flags Discovery Kingdom for a contest that Beachbody was putting on. I was privileged with being chosen as one of the daily winners and getting a $1,000 cash prize!

Maybe you are a good dancer, or maybe you are like me. Either way, it doesn't matter. If you are looking for a workout program that is fun, lets you burn calories and can make you look like a half decent dancer, CIZE is your program! If you are interested in the details of this program that is now out, but only available through a coach like me, let me know. I would love to share all the details with you! Just use my contact button above or leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Keep Your Wallet From Shrinking And Your Waistline From Expanding!

I've been doing a lot of traveling this year, and it's fun! But... Well.. It's kind of hard on the wallet and
the waist line.

This past trip to California we decided to do a few things differently and I thought I would share with you what worked for us.

Typically when you go on vacation you eat out almost every meal, and snack, and dessert... This adds up both financially and physically. This time the hubby and I decided to implement a rule of only going out to eat a maximum of one time a day. We did this by doing a few things.

First we stayed at hotels that had a free breakfast. Most of them had eggs, whole wheat bread, breakfast sandwiches, yogurt and fruit. Each morning we would have a hearty, big breakfast.

Our second step involved investing in a soft cooler that we could pack in our suitcase. Upon arriving in California we made our way to the grocery store and stocked up on some healthy lunch foods, fruits, veggies, cheese and milk. We spent about $30 on all of the groceries and were able to use it for approximately 10 meals, which you could never do eating out that many times.

Usually during the day we were going to theme parks or making day trips and we would pack our little cooler up with lunch and snacks. Some nights we were tired and not too hungry so we decided to eat dinner this way too.

On top of that I made sure to drink Shakeology EVERY DAY! Sometimes I would drink it for dinner or just a snack in the evening to keep the sweet tooth at bay. It was filling, gave me the nutrients I needed and helped me feel great!

The best part of this was that after seven days of vacation I didn't gain any weight! This was not the case when we went to Oregon/Seattle for 10 days in May. I ate out three times a day and gained 10 pounds! Yikes! I learned from that mistake, and now take steps so that doesn't happen again.

It's not about failing, it's about what you do with what you learn when you fail!

What Is A Challenge Group?

You may have seen me post about upcoming Challenge Groups, and you may have NO IDEA what that is! I thought I would create this little video to share the what, how and why of Challenge Groups.



You can find out more by contacting me at the top of the page, leaving a comment or messaging me on facebook :-) I host monthly 21 day Challenge Groups, so now is always a good time to start talking about how this could work for you.

Why Failing Doesn't Make Me A Failure

Remember a few weeks ago when I excitedly shared my new journey with the Whole30 program? Remember hearing anything about it since then? No? Well, that's because I FAILED!

I did great with the program for the first 11 days—getting through the headache stage, and then the tired stage. I was actually starting to feel great! Then it was Grandma's birthday and we decided to treat her to dinner. She chose Chinese, and my resolve with the Whole30 crumbled.

At dinner that fateful night I prayed to God that I wouldn't regret the decision of going from super clean eating to Chinese takeout. You may think that prayer was a joke, but it wasn't. I was fearful of the repercussions of this decision, and yet it was my decision to make. Thankfully I had no side effects from eating the Chinese food—actually now that I think about it I felt better after eating Chinese that day than I ever have before. Weird.

But that lack of repercussion kind of opened up a can of worms. I had to wonder why I was following this plan to "feel better" when I had cheated with the WORST meal one could cheat with and still felt great. Why should I keep up with this strict eating plan? So I didn't.

But you know what? That does NOT make me a failure! One thing I've been learning on this journey to health and fitness is that it's about bettering myself, not perfection.

Can I walk away from the Whole30 with new knowledge that I can appreciate and implement when I feel like? YES! Did I learn that I can say "No" to all forms of sugar, except what is naturally found in fruits and veggies? YES! That was a huge step for me. I am a sugar addict, and am realizing the truth of that statement more and more. But I don't have to allow that addiction to control me. Instead I have the power to choose.

Maybe you have failed at your diet, exercise plan, or while trying to break a bad habit, etc. Know this, YOU are not a failure, and YOU have a choice every time you fail to learn and grow through that failure into a better you.

I can hear my husband quoting Batman right now: "Why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up."