BAKED BANANAS

Bananas are so naturally sweet and delicious, not to mention versatile and offering a boat load of nutritional benefits! This recipe has saved me SO many times from using not-so-healthy to satisfy my temptations for something sweet, especially those late nights! I'm drooling over these as I'm doing my meal plan and prep for the week.

Here's how! Slice a banana, and top with honey and cinnamon to taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and enjoy!

You can get creative and serve with Greek yogurt or oats for breakfast, top with almonds or coconut flakes. If you make this recipe, comment below how you liked it!

21 Day Fix Extreme: My Journey, Day 2

So today was day 2, Extreme Uppers, 10 Minute Hard Core ab workout, and I also doubled up with a 6 mile run. The runner in me needs to get outdoors in the sun when it's a weekend, and the weather was just gorgeous today! So I took full advantage of having hubby home so I could get one in. 

What I love about this particular workout is that it's only 3 sets, 2 reps each, focusing on biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, and abs. The 30 minutes go by so fast! For equipment, you will need both a light set of weights (I used 10's) and a heavy set (I used both 15's and 20's, depending on the muscle groups being worked), and a resistance band. I hope my arms feel it tomorrow! 

I have to admit my water intake could have been better, and I feel like my metabolism is in overdrive. It was more difficult to stay on top of my nutrition today than yesterday, and my legs are so sore from yesterday's Plyo Extreme. But I'm weird like that - I LOVE to feel sore after a good workout! It tells me that I did something to make it work, and used enough weights and intensity to change my body. Sundays we are normally out and about, so I took my Shakeology with me on the go so I wouldn't be hungry and tempted to eat out, along with a can of Sparkling Water, but I could have taken a larger bottle of plain ice water with me as well. 

My meals were pretty similar today as yesterday: Eggs with wilted spinach and oats with coconut oil (times 2, for breakfast and lunch), Shakeology was my mid-morning snack, and had a baked chicken breast with some corn for dinner. 

Tomorrow I will need to really stay on top of my water, because I know it helps me with my nutrition. Getting through the first week will be the hardest, then it's on to the home stretch!! Day 2 is done, kitchen is closed, only 19 more days to go!!!

So I'm checking out for the night to talk with some ladies about how to get started as an Online Health and Fitness Coach, as I did just nearly 3 years ago. To learn more about what I do, how I earn income working from my home helping others with their health goals, apply HERE! I can't wait to meet you soon! 

Clean Eating Rhubarb Muffins

Who doesn't love to enjoy some rhubarb in the spring? Growing up, that was the first sign that summer vacation was on it's way!! My mom would line up the pie crusts, and go into a baking frenzy. Rhubarb pies, breads, cakes, crisp, bars and desserts...it's no wonder I didn't gain 20 pounds just in the month of May! 

So it was my mission to find some healthy alternatives, with none of the guilt or sacrifice in flavor! I think these turned out pretty good!

Serves: 9 (1 muffin each)

Fixate Equivalents- 
1 purple

1 blue

INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium bananas)

1 Tbs. grass-fed butter, melted

1 1/2 almond flour *(rolled oats will also work)

3/4 tsp. baking soda, gluten free

1 dash sea salt (or Himalayan salt)

1/2 cup chopped rhubarb or other firm fruit (Apple, pear, blueberries)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2- Prepare nine muffin cups by lining with muffin tin liners or coating with spray.

3- Combine eggs, banana, and butter in a medium bowl; mix well. Set aside.

4- Combine almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; mix well.

5- Add almond meal mixture to egg mixture; mix until blended.

6- Add rhubarb; mix until just blended.
Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin cups.

7- Bake 16-18 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

8- Transfer muffins to rack; cool.

These don't keep very long at room temp., so you will either want to eat them up the day of, or store them in the fridge, or freeze into portioned servings. Enjoy with your morning cup of joe!

21 Day Fix Extreme: My Journey

Ironically, it has been just about a year to the day, when I was planning to complete the 21 Day Fix Extreme. This is take 2, and NOT quitting early this time!!

These are my top tips I'm implementing to keep myself on track and motivated!

1 - Make your goals public. The more you share what you are working towards, the more it will hold you accountable! Those people will be rooting you on, and be a reminder to you when your motivation fails. 

2 - Surround yourself with other like-minded people, who are working towards the same goals. An accountability partner, or 10, will help you stick to your plan even when you don't feel like it. 

3 - Track, track, and TRACK! Your workouts, your intake, your water...every single day! You won't want to calculate in that ice cream, chips, or big piece of chocolate cake you had for dessert...so it is way easier to pass it up knowing you will need to figure it in! And you will have a great sense of pride and satisfaction, saying NO to those temptations. We ALL have them! It's those people who are disciplined enough to know that your short term sacrifices will lead you to your long term goal, that will see results they can be proud of!  I love My Fitness Pal, Sparkpeople.com, and the BeachBody 21 Day Fix trackers. 

4 - Seek support from someone who has been there before you, who can relate to you and keep you accountable! As an Online Health coach, I work to support my customers to their goals, what ever those might be. And the really awesome thing is, my services are 100% FREE and included in your program(s)! You do NOT need to do it alone!!! Having the support of a free coach and group makes it so much more fun, and also increases your likelihood for long term lifestyle changes towards a healthier YOU! 

5 - Celebrate small successes along the way! We all want immediate results, and it can be hard to keep going when you don't see the changes you think you should, as soon as you would like. Give it 2 weeks, 14 days, and see where you are at! Talk with your coach to see what needs tweaking if you still aren't making progress. Sometimes it can be a matter of overtraining, being in the wrong calorie bracket, or not having enough intensity with your workouts. Whatever it is, it's NEVER too late to get on the right path to health!! Better is always an option! XO

So this leads to my confession... and need to come clean. And it's something I'm so embarrassed to admit, if I'm being honest!

One of the main reasons I decided to be a health and fitness coach almost 3 years ago, was for the business aspect of what we do to help others get on a great path with their health and fitness, to establish life-long behaviors, routines and habits that will be a lifestyle change for the long term. And with every person who's life I impact and the work I do to help them to their goals, I grow my business to create a lifestyle of financial freedom for myself and family. In the process I have met some of the most remarkable people of my life, who I consider now some of my very best friends!  

I am proud to say that I was able to dig my family out of some pretty serious debt in my first 18 months of working my business, part time, and in-between the mom-cracks.   I have worked through diet pill-popping, binging and purging as a way to cope with sexual assault as a minor, and since I worked at a fast food restaurant during high school, eating their food became my norm and escape. I remember having ice cream shakes, soda, burgers and fries at every shift... which led to me feeling fat, ugly, and lacking in self-confidence. Good thing for me, it didn't take long for me to recognize that was not the way I wanted to continue long term. Fitness and running truly became my therapy! 

Since I was already active, and a runner when I started as a coach, I didn't really see the full value of in-home workout programs. However, not everyone is a runner, or has the ability to strap on a pair of sneakers and run 8 miles/day. PLUS I learned how amazing cross-training can be for our bodies by working out in my home and adding strength training into my routine. I have completed Chalene Extreme, P90X3, Hammer and Chisel, 22 Minute Hard Corps, and Insanity, Insanity Max 30...to name a few.

So by now you're probably wondering what my confession is. Well just 2 years ago, BeachBody released the most popular in-home fitness program since I've been coaching, the 21 Day Fix. 30 minute workouts, that can be done in the convenience and luxury of your own living room, combined with a completely fool proof nutrition and portion control program. I have yet to complete the full 21 days of this program. I've stopped and started so many times, and started "over again" more times than I'd like to admit. With traveling, falling off the wagon, losing interest, or just plain excuses, I just have had the hardest time sticking it out! So I'm doing what I tell my customers to do, and that is track my progress, chart my workouts and intake daily, and share my goals publicly to help me hold myself accountable. With the number of customers I've helped see some completely amazing results using the simple 30 minute workouts, and fool proof nutrition plan, portion control system, I decided it's my turn to finally commit myself to completing the full 21 days.

I invite you to follow along in my journey!

My meals for today were pretty simple, I do that intentionally so that they are easy to calculate into the containers (no need to overcomplicate things!). 

I had two Chocolate Shakeology health shakes, and the same meal for Breakfast as lunch, eggs, spinach, and oats. Almonds for a snack, and I was golden! 

Eggs and Oats: one red, one green, one yellow, and 1 tsp. for coconut oil. 

Shakeology Health Shake: one red, one purple (1/2 banana), and 1 tsp when I added PB, blended with water and ice. 

12 almonds: a blue or orange container. I used 24 almonds, that counted towards both containers. 

I am using a couple different trackers, both Sparkpeople.com as well as the Beachbody 21 Day Fix mobile app, for my nutrition and workouts. It totally will help hold me accountable along with my virtual online groups that I run for my customers! 

If you are also using the 21 Day Fix Extreme and following along with the Countdown to Comp meal plan, this is the schedule for carb cycling to follow:

And because we all start somewhere, here are my "before" pics!! I cannot wait to see how my body responds to this program when I give it my 110%!!! I will be sharing my in-progress pics each week, so stay tuned!!!

ON SALE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!!!  To join me on your own journey with the 21 Day Fix, Fix Extreme, or the perfect fit for what you're looking for, and to have daily accountability and support virtually on-line, complete this application to learn more and reserve your spot in my next group!  I look forward to sharing this journey with you!!

Frosty Cocoa Pies

With summer on it's way, it has me thinking about different snack and mini-meal ideas, both for myself as well as my family. I know for myself, there is nothing I dislike more than preparing seperate meals and snacks for myself and the kiddos. I always tell myself, if I don't want to eat something, I shouldn't be feeding it to my kids either!  If it's not good enough for me, it's not good enough for their young growing bodies, especially. So I came up with this recipe because #1, I LOVE PB and CHOCOLATE! (who doesn't?!?!) and #2, I knew my kids would love it as well! This is my version of "smudgies". 

I figured I'd have to entice them into trying these for the first time by adding in some white chocolate chips...but I regretted doing so after I saw how much they enjoyed them! Totally didn't need it. And everything's better with chocolate, so the addition of some cocoa is the BOMB! A totally healthy treat, perfect for warmer summer days.

 Ingredients:

2 mashed bananas

1 T. Baking Cocoa

2 T. Nut Butter (I suggest Smucker's Chunky All Natural)

Optional - cocoa nibs or other mini chocolate chips

4 Plain, low salt Rice Cakes

Method:
Blend ingredients in a bowl, top 4 rice cakes and freeze for 1-2 hours or until desired consistency. Enjoy!! 

OPERATION: Fall Into Fitness

Happy Sunday!  I cannot believe we're half way through October, and TOMORROW is my BIRTHDAY!  I feel so much better in my late 30's then I did in my 20's. I'm stronger, eat better, and just feel like I have things together (most of the time). But you know, even the most consistent and dedicated of people can lose their motivation at times and benefit from having an accountability partner (or several!).  That would be ME!!!!  I have been running and using my in-home workouts (Body Beast and 21 Day Fix Extreme) consistently every day other than the occasional rest day.  I can see visible changes in my arms and shoulders and just "feel" stronger overall, but like so many of us, I feel I can always improve with my nutrition.  I just don't feel as good as I know I can, when I don't get enough water, or eat too many sweets, carbs and peanut butter. I seriously think I need to stop buying the nut butter for about 21 days so I can "detox"! Haha. 

When I don't drink enough water and my eating isn't on track, I just plain can't sleep, I lack energy, I am not feeling my usual determined and motivated self, and I can totally feel it in my running and workouts.   When your body is used to eating clean, and then you have a little backslide, your body fights you back in not-so-pleasant ways!! 

So what did I do about it?  I decided last week to commit myself to using the 21 Day Fix Extreme, to a "T", containers and all. But with anything, progress is progress, and there is no such thing as failure when you don't give up. I had a slip up yesterday with the Apple Crisp my mom brought over, but I'm not allowing that to get me down. The only way to fail is to quit. And I'm not a quitter. Today is a new day, and I'm back in it to win it!  

This is my FOCUS:

1.  Use my 21 Day Fix containers for every meal, every day, for the duration of the 3 weeks.

2.  Ensure I get in my daily recommended water intake.  1/2 my body weight in ounces, every day.

3.  I know from experience when I follow my meal plan and drink my Shakeology, I will rid my body of sugar cravings to help me achieve my goal. TRACKING helps me stick to my plan. So therefore, I will take time to track my intake every single day. I love Sparkpeople.com, so that's what I'll stick to. 

4.  Although it is so hard to take a rest day, I will take one once per week on my Yoga days. 

5. I will not skip a workout, and will use my 10 minute ab workout every other day to work on my core strength. 

This is public accountability at its best, and what helps me keep pushing myself to be the best I can be!  I'm hoping that together we can keep each other accountable.  I truly believe that no one is perfect, but rather it's a lifelong journey that we are always working towards. By sharing my own personal struggles and successes, I hope to inspire and motivate you to keep yourself going in the right direction!

So because jeans and sweater season is here I want to give you EXTRA accountability too!  Do you dread going into your closet to see if last year's jeans still fit? There's no worse feeling than to go into your closet and have a hard time finding clothes that fit like they should. Or feeling your muffin top bulge over your jeans, or have a huge stack of clothes in your closet that doesn't fit. It's an instant BAD MOOD for sure. Or have you ever used the pregnancy trick (when you're not expecting) and used a rubber band to hold your pants together? That feeling SUCKS. No better way to put it.  Or only wearing baggy tops so that the belly bulge isn't as noticeable? I used to do that, and it made me feel terrible about myself!  But after really buckling down, and focusing on my nutrition, the pounds seemed to melt off.  I could wear nearly anything I wanted to and feel confident, and my mood was so much better, and I was just overall so much more confident! No more shying away from the cameras :)    

I know it takes dedication and effort, but I would love to pay it forward and do the same for you by offering you my help and support in a 4 week focus group online. 

I am kicking off the plan and prep week to my 4 week Operation Fall Into Fitness group on Monday October 19th.  This is a 4 week, closed online support and accountability group.  My goal is to teach you how to meal plan, how to make healthier, higher quality food choices, help you to manage your cravings for sweets, deal with the temptations of the approaching Halloween Holiday, how to handle eating out, traveling and everything else life throws our way!  

WEEK 1:  We will not be using workouts (unless you would like to), as there is a strong focus on your goals and getting you in the right mindset for the work that lies ahead.  Together we will set realistic and achievable goals, learn about nutrition and healthy choices, give you sample meal plans, snack ideas and more.  

WEEK 2: Here starts the FUN!  Applying what you learned in the first week, while adding in your in-home daily workouts (you have the choice of any Team Beachbody Fitness program.  I help you choose the one that is right for you based on your own fitness level, goals, and current needs).  The 21 Day Fix or Fix Extreme is by far my favorite, especially if you need an overhaul on your nutrition.  Plus the workouts are great, and there are modifications at each and every level for you to follow as you work your way through the program. 

WEEKS 3-4:  A continuation of week 2, we continue to use our daily workouts, follow our meal plans, share our accountability each day in our private groups, and support one another to our goals by helping one another celebrate successes along the way, and strategize any challenges or obstacles. 

So at this point you might be asking yourself what the requirements to join are?

REQUIREMENTS to JOIN: All you would need is to have me as your free Team Beachbody coach and complete the below application! It is 100% free of charge, and you would just create an account on my site! Then, I would walk you through the next steps to get started and get you added into my online accountability and support group.

Lastly, each person is required to replace 1 meal a day with Shakeology for the duration of the group. The reason is simple - for your health benefit, and I want to offer you the complete solution to healthy living. Shakeology is not "just" your typical protein shake.  It's not comparable to Slim Fast or any other shake on the market. I'm totally guilty of not checking the label on my shake. I used to use some cheap generic protein shake, that is until I took the time to educate myself on what I was REALLY putting in my body. Comparing that label to the list of ingredients of Shakeology was a game changer, and so eye opening. When you look at Shakeology you are seeing high quality ingredients that are not processed, there are no artificial sweeteners or flavorings and it is going to help you lose weight because it's portion controlled and it has the right carb to protein ratio that your body needs to make up a complete meal - therefore no cravings!  

You can choose any meal or snack during the day to replace with Shakeology.  I always suggest you choose the meal that you struggle with the most (or skip all together). For some, that might be crazy mornings with getting the family off to school and yourself off to work. Others might use it for their lunch at work so that they aren't going out to eat and resorting to other less healthy options. Give it 30 days so you can decide for yourself how it helps you stay on track, and how it helps you FEEL!  It will also help the transition to your new healthy routines easier, it will help you get better results because your body is getting proper nutrition and can recover faster, and at the end of the 4 weeks we can re-evaluate to see where to go from here!

Coconut Dream Shakeology

What does joining a Support Group entail?  Each day you will log in to the closed online accountability group and read the daily post from me, as your coach.  You will find either a tip on clean eating, a recipe, motivation or accountability.  Each person is required to check in each day and report their day for accountability (usually in the evening, or report for the day prior).

This is a private, safe place for us, as we are all doing this together. REAL people just like you, to help get you through any obstacles that come with reaching your health and fitness goals.  Having each other's support and encouragement is so invaluable, and will help us stay on track!

To reserve a spot in my Fall into Fitness Group, please complete the application HERE!  There is a limited number of spaces and its first come first get! Hope to see you in the group, get to know you and together become fitter and healthier versions of ourselves!!!  I cannot WAIT to ROCK OUT OUR SKINNY JEANS WITH YOU AT THE END!!!

  

Healthy 21 Day Fix-Approved Ice Cream

Because sometimes you just want ice cream!!! Am I right? Well did you know that so often times, when we have those cravings or impulses, we just go to what's there and available - but when you take the time to have some forethought, plan ahead, and do a little bit of preparation, you can indulge and satisfy your craving without sacrificing your fitness goals and waistline?  

I know for me, I get these ideas late at night, like most people. It's easy to just grab a cup of tea and call it good, but I built this "cheat" into my meal plan intentionally so that I don't feel like I'm depriving myself of the foods I really love - such as ice cream and peanut butter, and chocolate! 

As I'm gearing up for my next online fitness challenge, "Sweating for Skinny Jeans", this is a sneak peek to some of the recipes and tips I'll be sharing with my customers to help us drop those 10 pounds FAST!!!  No fatty, sugary ice cream, but this recipe is the BOMB-DIGGITY and my kids don't even know the difference!!! (no joke!)

Ingredients:

Frozen Banana, sliced

2 tsp. natural Peanut Butter ( I love Smucker's All-Natural, chunky is really great in this recipe)

1 T. Almond milk, water, or other liquid

Optional Additions: 

*mini chocolate chips

*1 tsp. Maple Syrup extract (if you like Maple Nut Ice Cream!)

Method: 

1 - Add your frozen banana slices to your Nutri-bullet or Ninja along with the other ingredients except chocolate chips, if using. The liquid is needed to help get the banana whipped up and blended until smooth. 

2 - Place in a bowl, and set in the freezer for about 30 minutes until slightly thickened to Ice Cream consistency. 

Top with mini chocolate chips if you like, grab a spoon, and ENJOY!!!

Sweating for my Skinny Jeans: Online Health Support Group

It's fall!!  My favorite time of the year - jeans, boots, scarves, hats, baggy cardigans.  But if you're like me, it's been MONTHS since I've even looked at my jeans! There's nothing more I love, than a pair of dark denim skinny jeans with a cute pair of pumps or boots. And I know so many of us busy moms totally let the summer get away on us, putting our own health and fitness goals on the back-burner.  So I decided to TURBO CHARGE things for you, and help you get on a good track so you can feel GREAT by Halloween, AWESOME by Thanksgiving, and AMAZING, STUNNING, SEXY and CONFIDENT by Christmas and your New Year's parties!!!

So here's what I'm looking for:  20 women who want to lose 10 lbs. in 30 days ...for a total of 200 lbs. down between all of our group members!

Starting on September 21st, we will meet daily in a closed Facebook group for support and accountability.

You will receive a custom diet plan, one on one nutrition advice, portion control containers, a workout program that gets killer results, a 30 day supply of shakeology (a nutrient dense meal replacement shake that helps keep you on track, energized and eliminates excuses to eating right) a schedule, a support team, and a personal dietitian!

I am going ALL IN with this group and expect every other member to do as well so that we are all each other's BEST accountability partners!!  I'm already down 5 POUNDS in ONE WEEK following this meal plan I'll be sharing with our members, and I am feeling so motivated to keep things going!

We are going to spend 30 days FOCUSED and make some healthy balanced changes in the way you eat, feed your family, work out, and greatly improve your overall health.

We will fine tune your existing routines and create some amazing new habits while saying good-bye to your old bad habits.

If you want to be considered for one of the spots open and receive the application, send me a message, comment below "attending" so I can send you more information and make sure this is a good fit for you, or clink the link below to join us!!!

BIG changes are about to take place- you don't want to miss this one!!

I will be hand-selecting our 20 members. To be considered, please fill out this brief application! This will help me get to know you a bit better, and make sure you're eligible and that this group is a good fit for you and your goals!

Body Beast: Not Just for the Guys!

This summer I attended my 2nd Coach Summit conference which was hosted in Nashville, TN, and I was so excited to hear about this fall's newest program release, Hammer and Chisel, with my two all-time favorite trainers, Sagi Kalev and Autumn Calabrese. 

Check it out!  

I have been using Body Beast off and on for about 2 years for cross training with my running, and following the simple and yet effective meal plan of 21 Day Fix Extreme (and adding in the workouts as well for variety). I can tell you that there is no better feeling then waking up sore from a good workout the day before!  Adding in the new Performance Line has been such a total game changer for me, especially the Recharge Formula, to help with muscle soreness and muscle synthesis. Completely NSF-approved, naturally derived, this product is a must-have for those who are serious about leaning out, building muscle, and taking things to the highest notch possible with their fitness goals. 

So it just really seems like a natural fit, to combine these 2 programs in the FIRST EVER partnership of trainers working together to create one kick-butt workout program, Hammer and Chisel!

I have decided to really go after my goals in the next 2 months leading up to this new program launch, and run my own "test" group using these 2 programs in a hybrid workout schedule and following the 21 DFX Meal Plan. 

Heart. Hustle. Determination.

It's true, some people just don't care. They seem to be ok with just accepting their circumstances. And I'm not passing judgement. It's up to each person to decide their own path.  So here it comes...confession time. As we were on vacation last week, I didn't skip one workout (yay me!), but I didn't follow my meal plan as I would have liked.  So coming back, I totally felt like I was walking the road of shame...but at the same time, back stronger than ever to bring my "A" game. My workouts are planned, weekly meal plan is done and posted on the fridge, and I'm ready more than ever to see what my body is capable of when I follow my meal plan and train like a BOSS!

Why I make my health priority is because I want more. To be more, do more, be a positive role model for my kids. I don't want to wait for a health scare to turn things around...that is, if I'm given a second chance. The way I see it, is I can wish for it, or I can DO it. There's no time like the present to take action and be your own fitspiration. Believe you can, and you're half way there!!! 

So here is my first week's plan, meals and workouts, to get me on a good track for success. I cannot WAIT to see how my body responds to the shift in my training schedule. I am a runner, so it will be a change for me to cut back on my cardio and add in more of the strength training. But I really feel like this is what will shape my body into what I'm after. 

Workout/Meal Plan Week 1

My stats are recorded, goodbye pics taken, and now, onto my TRAINING!!! Stay tuned for my weekly progress as I work towards my fitness goals for the next 2 months. 

**If you would like to join me on my journey in a closed online group, complete your application HERE for my next group, starting SOON!!!

Wilted Spinach & Egg Salad

Ingredients:
2 C. Fresh Spinach
1 Carrot, shredded
4 Sweet Peppers, Roasted
2 Eggs, over easy
1/4 C. Mashed Avocado
Mediterranean Seasoning Blend to taste
Crushed Red Pepper
Balsamic vinegar to taste
Balsamic Glaze

Method:
1) Place spinach and carrots on a microwave-safe plate, season with the Mediterranean seasoning and heat for about 1 minute until the spinach is just wilted. 
2) Meanwhile, prepare your eggs and roast your peppers. I like to use the Foreman Grill for my peppers, and cook my eggs just until the whites are set and season with crushed red pepper. 
3) Drizzle Balsamic Vinegar over wilted spinach, add peppers and eggs, drizzle with the Balsamic Glaze, top with mashed avocado. 

Enjoy!

Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

As a busy mom of 4 kiddos, I love to find a good recipe that I can prepare once, and eat several times. Because let's face it, who doesn't like to have a night "off" from the kitchen once and awhile?!? Right?

Growing up on a dairy farm, raising our own cows for hamburger, we had meatloaf at least once each week as a child growing up. So once I got older, and then as a mom, it was one of those go-to meals that we also enjoy.  Kids especially, love things in proper individual serving sizes, AND they take far less time to bake when they are in a muffin cup.  This recipe is inspired by Jamie Eason's 12 week Livefit program, and they looked really good, so I decided to try them!  It provides a perfect blend of complex carbohydrates and protein for a complete snack. I always make a double batch and freeze them to grab for a quick snack or meal.    I'll usually take 2 for a snack with a handful of veggies, or for lunch I'll pair it with a salad.  Kid tested, family approved!!

You can get as creative with these as you like. My favorite add-ins are garden zucchini, fresh chopped mushrooms, spinach, and/or shredded carrots, in addition to what the original recipe calls for.  

Ingredients 

• 2 lbs ground turkey or chicken
• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup old fashioned or quick cooking oats
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried yellow mustard
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp chipotle pepper spice 
• Splash of liquid smoke
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp garlic powder (or 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic)
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks finely chopped

Additional add-ins (optional)

• 1 zucchini, shredded
• 1-2 carrots, shredded
• 1 c. diced fresh mushrooms
• 1 c. chopped fresh spinach

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Spray muffin pan with olive oil
• Mix all your ingredients together in one large bowl
• Roll the mixture into balls and place in muffin tin.  Muffins should be about the size of racquet balls.
• Bake for 40 minutes
• Makes 12 muffins

Serving size 2 muffins for women, and 4 for men.

Oatmeal Pancake with Chocolate Drizzle

How would you like to start your day with chocolate, clean eating, all natural, real-food ingredients, that takes little time to make?

This is WORTH getting out of bed for in the mornings, to enjoy with your cup of coffee! Loaded with protein, heart-healthy oats, no sugar or artificial sweeteners - start your day out the right way!  Beware - you might need to hide this from the family if you don't intend to share...or plan on making multiple batches for everyone!

Oatmeal Pancake with Chocolate Drizzle

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry, prepared oats (I prefer old fashioned)

6 egg whites

Vanilla extract to taste

Combine the above 3 ingredients in a bowl, and place in your prepared, heated skillet. Cover and cook until set, about 5-10 minutes on medium/medium high heat. 

Meanwhile, prepare your chocolate sauce. 

Ingredients:

1 tsp. coconut oil, melted

1 T. baking cocoa

1 tsp. pure honey

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1-2 T. milk (almond or skim), to desired consistency

Combine above ingredients until mixed thoroughly. Plate your pancake when set, and drizzle the chocolate sauce overtop. 

ENJOY!  

Pita Pocket Egg Sandwich

This is one of my go-to breakfasts when I just feel like something different than oatmeal in the mornings. For some variety, adding feta or mozzarella (blue container) is really great, but for the next 21 days I am following the 21 Day Fix Extreme meal plan, countdown to comp. so I am not using dairy for the next few weeks. I will miss it, and REALLY enjoy my cheese when I complete this round!

Ingredients:
1 C. Liquid Egg Whites
1/2 mini pita pocket, whole grain
1 tsp. chives
1/2 tsp. dill
Black Pepper to taste
1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 T. mashed avocado
(Mozzarella or feta cheese, optional)

1) Prepare your pan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat.
2) Combine egg whites with seasonings and pour into your skillet. Cover and cook until set.
3) Spread avocado in the center, sprinkle on the cheese if you are using it, and load into the pita pocket. Enjoy!

My 21 Day Fix Extreme Transformation

So I have decided to share my personal journey using the Beachbody workout and nutrition program, the 21 Day Fix Extreme, starting with my official DAY 1 yesterday on Monday, June 15th, 2015. I have helped countless others transform their bodies, and lives, with this program and Shakeology that I decided it's about time I commit myself to completing it in it's entirety - and really see what I can achieve in a round when I dedicate myself to it. My goal by the end of this program is to be down 10 pounds and 10 inches total. I was pretty darn excited to wake up this morning to find my weight down by one pound already, in just ONE DAY!

Although this program has been out since February 2015, I have YET to be able to complete an entire 3 weeks straight, and stick it out.  I have a tendency to get bored with using the same program every day, and get side tracked easily as I am also a runner. BUT I do love lifting weights, and variety - which this program offers a little bit of everything - from cardio, to weights, to Yoga and Pilates...all in short effective 30 minute workouts. The real struggle for me (as it is for most of us) is in that of sticking to a meal plan. Follow me and my updates over the next 21 days, where I will be sharing my meals, progress, and workouts as I go!

Today begins my "before" stats - or what I like to call it - GOODBYE to the old me, make way for the new me!!!

My beginning measurements and weight are as follows:

Weight: 156.4 lbs.
L. Arm: 11.25"
R. Arm: 11.5"
Chest: 34.5
Waist: 33.75"
Hips: 40"
L. Thigh: 23.75"
R. Thigh: 23.75"

Yesterday was my start, and I completed the 21 DFX Yoga in addition to the Monday's scheduled workout, Plyo Fix Extreme. Weights with jumps - I can honestly say I didn't feel like I pushed myself as hard as I could have, and used 10 pound weights for every move. Next week I am going to up my weights to 15 lbs. and see how that goes. I was a bit sore today, but not as much as I would have liked to be. Call me strange, but whenever I start something different, I judge my effort on how sore I am the following day. I WANT my body to remember the previous day's workout! My meals and water were on point; I fall into the 1299-1499 calorie bracket, so was allotted 6 reds (protein), 3 greens (veggies), one yellow (simple carbs), and 2 teaspoons of healthy fats. I followed everything to the "T" except that I didn't get in one of the reds, and I couldn't resist my 2-yr. old daughter's orange that she didn't want. So I ate that coveted fruit on a carb depletion day! Ugh, had total guilt about that! But on to today, day 2, so far I have resisted EVERY single temptation! (GO ME!). 

My meals for the day were a Pita Pocket Egg Sandwich with mashed avocado, Grilled Chicken Breast with roasted asparagus, Turkey Burger with mashed avocado and Green Beans, Boca Burger wrapped in a romaine "bun" with mixed steamed veggies, and Chocolate Shakeology.  

Pita Pocket Egg Sandwich

DAY 2: 

Down 1 pound from YESTERDAY. What a great way to start the day!  Today's workout is Upper Fix Extreme (my favorite!) and also getting in the 10 minute hardcore abs - because I REALLY need to work on getting some definition back in my abs and get rid of those love handles!

My favorite meal of today was breakfast. There is NOTHING better than to start the day with a pancake drizzled with chocolate sauce!

Oatmeal Pancake with Chocolate Drizzle

One red container, one yellow, and one teaspoon - this was like having desert first thing in the morning. I don't know about you, but this meal is SO worth getting out of bed for in the morning! I don't eat until I've done my workout, so total incentive to push play and just get it done! It is hard to believe that this is 21 Day Fix Extreme approved. I felt like I was cheating!  I think I need to use a larger plate next time. What do you think? 

The rest of my meals were pretty similar to yesterdays. Grilled Boca burger with avocado and veggies, grilled chicken and veggies, Shakeology, and will be finishing off dinner tonight with another turkey burger with sliced tomato and avocado, roasted asparagus, and Chocolate Maple Nut Shakeology for dessert (add in some Maple Syrup extract and touch of almond extract, blend with ice and water in your nutri-bullet) . Today I was able to successfully resist Greek Yogurt and Cookie Dough Ice Cream that the kids wanted. No cheats today for me - I'm on a roll and feeling GREAT! 

Day 3:

So today's workout is Pilates Extreme. I love how the program uses resistance bands to the routines to kick things up a notch (or 2) from a traditional Pilates workout. 

I enjoy several of the workouts included in this program, but this one especially... love to work my core! The 30 minutes really flies by so fast. There's something about a good Yoga or Pilates session that feels good ANY time of the day. Early morning, relaxing in the afternoon, or before bed...when is your favorite time to do your workouts?  I feel so lucky to work from home as a health coach, so that I have the flexibility with my schedule to do it whenever I want! No need to pack up the 4 kiddos to a gym to get a good sweat on - I have all I need right in my home office. Works great for me!

My meals today have been really good (I used most of the same foods as yesterday) except that darn Peanut Butter!! GAH. I think I need to just not buy it for a few weeks so that I don't have that temptation in the house. Do you have that ONE food that you just love?! For me, it's Peanut Butter. I could probably quite literally finish off an entire jar of it, if it didn't have so many calories! Are you with me on that?

This is one of my favorite salads. We raise our own free-range laying hens, so I do eat a lot of eggs for protein. They are so good on salads (love the runny yolks)!. 

Wilted Spinach Egg Salad

This is so easy to make, and takes very little preparation.  I think I could very possibly have this every single day and not get tired of it!

Today's meals are as follows:
√ Pita Pocket Egg Sandwich
√ Chicken & Roasted Asparagus
√ Wilted Spinach Egg Salad
√ Shakeology (I had 2 today - wanted to make sure I got in all 6 of my reds in, for protein)
√ Turkey Burger with sliced tomato and Brussels Sprouts

I am also drinking a LOT of water. Shooting for 2 gallons each day, which makes for a lot of trips to the bathroom! We had to stock up on toilet paper today - just keeping things real! haha. So NOT in my plan was the couple snitches of PB that I had in the afternoon. Now to work it off!  Tomorrow, NO cheats!