Avocado Zucchini Alfredo with Shrimp

I know many of us really enjoy a big plate of pasta now and then...but if you're anything like me, it always leaves me feeling bloated and heavy afterwards. 

You might have heard of spaghetti squash, but what about zoodles? Using a spiralizer like this one, to prepare your veggies is a nice change, and one you should definitely try if you are looking for a healthier option to swap out the pasta and use something that's a low-carb, low-calorie alternative. Zucchini works really well, but you can also make carrot "ribbons" as well!

This recipe is a variation from the recipe found in the 2B Mindset nutrition course, and has been a favorite with most all of my customers! If you are looking for a fast, simple but delicious dinner with minimal preparation, this one is a must try!

This recipe makes 2 servings, total time: 22 minutes. Cooking time: 7 minutes.

INGREDIENTS: 

1/2 medium ripe avocado, mashed

1/4 c. reduced-fat (2%) plain Greek Yogurt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (divided use)

1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder (divided use)

1/2 tsp. Onion Powder (divided use)

1/2 tsp. Greek Seasoning

Nonstick cooking spray

24 raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed (approx. 12 oz.)

4 medium zucchini, spiralized (approx. 4 cups)

4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

1/2 c. diced roma tomato

2 tsp. grated parmesan cheese

METHOD:

1. Combine avocado, yogurt, half the pepper, garlic powder and onion powder, and the Greek Seasoning in a medium bowl; combine well and set aside.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet, lightly coated with cooking spray, over medium heat. 

3. Add shrimp, season with remaining seasonings and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. 

4. Add the zucchini; cook stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp is firm and opaque, and mixture is heated through. Add in the diced tomatoes during the last minute. Drain excess liquid from skillet. 

5. Stir in avocado mixture. 

6. Evenly divide between two serving plates. Evenly top with grated cheese; serve immediately.

*NOTE: overcooking the zucchini will cause it to be a bit mushy. Take care to stir continuously as it cooks to avoid overcooking. Enjoy! 

If you could benefit from having a free online Health and Wellness Coach for support, and for additional recipes and healthy eating inspiration, contact me HERE. For the 2B Mindset complete course with the complete book of recipes and eating plan, mindset videos, food journal/tracker to help you overcome any challenges with your relationship with food, click HERE.    

80 Day Obession Meal Plan C

Sometimes no matter how much we plan and prepare, we don't get it right the first time, and we need to take a step back to revisit the plan. That's what happened to me as I started Phase 2 of the newest Beachbody workout program, 80 Day Obsession. I started out thinking I should be in Plan A for my nutrition, but I was feeling super hungry all the time, tired, irritable, and I just felt overall like my body wasn't getting enough nutrition. My results were showing little to no progress in terms of weight loss, so I went back to the start and recalculated my intake. 

Meal #3:Tilapia, Brussels Sprouts/Broccoli, Whole Grains

For the first time ever, I am finding myself veering away from Bracket A, and heading into unknown territory with Plan C. I'm going to stick it out for the duration of the 50-some remaining days of the program to see what my results will yield! A few days in, and I can tell you I already feel like a different person. For the first time EVER, in a meal plan I am eating 4 servings of carbs per day! Talk about feeling SPOILED! Ha!! 

On a side-note, these containers make meal prep a complete breeze! They are dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and stack up so nicely in my fridge! Click HERE to check them out! I first ordered myself a set of 7 (for dinners, one per day for every day of the week), then later decided to order a second set so I now have enough to use for my lunches AND dinners for an entire week. 

So as I begin Phase 2, on meal plan C, here is what I'm eating in case you want to follow along! 

And if you are interested in joining me with a community of other ladies all working towards our health and fitness goals, I am currently taking enrollments for my next virtual support and accountability group that starts on Monday, February 19th!  Don't wait, the spots are filling up fast! Apply here for more information!

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!! 

Master's Hammer & Chisel Meal Plan

So this week I finish my first round of the 8 week in-home fitness program, The Master's Hammer & Chisel! I can hardly believe I am only 3 days away from the finish line. How many times do we start a program only to fizzle out and lose interest, get bored, or lose our motivation? I know I certainly have been there! And I was far from perfect with following the workout schedule or meal plan to a "T"...but regardless, I am really happy for my results and progress!!

I created my final meal plan, and wanted to share it with you in case you are looking for some new ideas and inspiration (ALSO compatible with 21 Day Fix meal plans). Follow my posts for the recipes - I'll be adding photos with my meals throughout the week!

My next online accountability support group begins on Monday, Feb. 1st, in case you are looking for a support system to help you finish with results YOU can be proud of!

Apply HERE if you are interested in learning how you can reserve YOUR spot!!

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!!!