Be Unstoppable!
Holidays and visiting people can be tough! Not only the travelling part, but once you get there, there are so many temptations and disruptions to your normal schedule! There's a lot of planning and participation in the meal preparation that is necessary for making it through visits and holidays unscathed. 
I managed to make it through the holidays this year not only without gaining weight, but with actually losing weight! In my life, that is completely unheard of. So, I'm going to tell you what I did to help ensure myself that. 

Nothing crazy. Just small changes, and conscious activities that made my recent trip home more survivable.

First things first...

Don't make excuses before your vacation starts. What do I mean by that?

PLAN AHEAD - Pre-airport workout
I didn't leave for the airport until 1:30 pm before my holiday started.  I could VERY easily have lounged around all day, lazing away my last afternoon before I flew home. But instead...I got my workout in! Not just one workout, but two! Insanity Max 30 and Dirty 30... It burned sooooo good!! haha

Next, the airport...

We all know that there are abundant temptations at the airport! You could very easily enjoy some fast food, a burger, too many drinks...etc. But, instead, you could continue your healthy trend! 

I believe that if you're consciously looking for healthy options for yourself, then you will find them. No matter where you are! Including the airport!  I got this delicious greek salad with grilled chicken and tons of vegetables at a SPORTS BAR.  Do you see what I mean? I found the options that had grilled meat, chose the salad that had the least amount of unhealthy add-ons, and had a vinaigrette dressing that I asked for on the side! I ate the whole thing and it held me over for the rest of my travel day! Talk about healthy eats! :-)
Greek salad at the aiport
When I finally arrived at my parents house for the holidays, one of the first things I did was ask my mom when she was going grocery shopping. Now, my parents eat pretty fricken healthy and they're very supportive of the new lifestyle I have adopted. I totally understand that sometimes it's not that easy for people, but you can make every effort to ensure that you have the healthiest possible things available to you. So, I helped my mom write the grocery list and then went shopping with her! We got tons of yummy things that fit right into my eating plan and diet, and...I threw in a little treat for them too...which I'll get to in a bit.
Mom and my trip to the grocery store the day after I got back from school!
Something else you can do...either by yourself or with a fellow active friend...is to get outside and do something active! Instead of meeting up for drinks or dinner ever single time you meet up with someone, get outside!

I was able to spend a lot of time this holiday with a good friend of mine from high school--Rachel! And she took me on one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on to Rattlesnake Ridge! I don't know if I can really put into words how amazing this was, other than to just show you some pictures!

At the first viewpoint
My awesome hiking buddy
Lookout from third viewpoint--Sooo beautiful!
Fit Friends are the best! Thanks again, Rachel!


Now Christmas inevitably means lots of goodies, snacking, treats, and BIG DINNERS. Now, I'm not about to tell you don't enjoy these things.  I certainly did. But one thing you can do to put yourself in a good position is to portion your dinner properly! Check this out - I snapped a pic of my Christmas Eve dinner because I was SUPER proud of myself! Not only was the dinner healthy (bravo mom and grandma), but I loaded my plate up with vegetables, and ate less of the carbs! I even went back for seconds on the salad! I call that a win!
Christmas Eve dinner meant lots of SALAD, wild rice, cornish game hens, and family to open presents with!
Now, I kind of teased you before with what extra little things you can do to really help yourself maintain healthy habits. Do you know what that is?? COOK! Cooking for your family is not only a great way to maintain your healthy lifestyle, but it also introduces them to the lifestyle and takes a little bit of the cooking pressure off of them! Sweet deal, right?!

We're a super Italian family - so my dad and I made our family favorite kashkatelles! Not the healthiest thing in the world, but AMAZING!
Family favorite - Kaskatelles from Great Grandma Noni's cookbook
I also had my parents help me pick out two recipes that they wanted to try! Basically, I let them choose from a number. But ultimately they ended up choosing some of my absolute favorites that I'm sure you recognize!

First time I cooked, we made Paleo Phad Thai, which you know I've featured before! My parents had actually never had spaghetti squash, so not only was this a great opportunity to make them one of my favorite recipes, but also to introduce them to a new food! 

And I don't know everyone...I don't know if they liked it...haha
Paleo Phad Thai - my parents devoured this recipe! :-) This is just the chicken with the cabbage mixture (I use cole slaw mix)
I also made another recipe, which I'll share in the next post! :-)

The holidays, and trips home on vacation, are totally survivable from the perspective of maintaining your progress! Make small switches...and be consistent in those things! Don't get lazy and continue to be conscious and as healthy as possible on your next trip or over your next holiday and I promise you'll maintain what you've worked so hard for!

Until next time,

I generated this list of tips and tricks for my December Challenge group, and it just seemed like too useful of a list to not share! So, here you go my friends! Try some of these out! And feel free to comment below if you've got any other good tips that have worked for you.

 Don’t skip meals. In an attempt to make room (and save calories) for that Holiday party later, you might skip lunch. But you’ll probably only end up eating more because you’re starving! Some tips? Have a small snack of vegetables before you head out to the party. Or, even better, try eating 4-6 SMALLER but more frequent meals during the day.

Survey party buffets before filling your plate. That way you can be more selective of what foods you have! Have some of your favorites and maybe skip over those snacks that you are less enthusiastic about!

Bring your own healthy dish to a Holiday get together. That way you can be SURE that there is at least something healthy for you to indulge in!
Avoid hovering by the appetizer table. My friend posted this on Facebook the other day and it has stuck with me. A person was observed lingering near an appetizer table two hours before the meal began, and in that two hours over 1200 calories worth of appetizers! Before the meal! So, choose to mingle away from the appetizer table and you’ll save on calories
Chew some gum. Chewing gum actually tricks your body into thinking you’re eating. So, chew some 15 minutes before hitting up the appetizers to cut down on appetizer intake!
Plan to exercise. This might seem obvious but if you don’t PLAN WHEN you’re going to exercise, you’re probably NOT going to exercise! FAIL TO PLAN AND YOU PLAN TO FAIL!
Bring snacks everywhere. Long hours of Christmas shopping means that you WILL inevitably get hungry! So, bring some snacks with you! Apples, carrots, celery, and nuts are all great, portable options!
Treat that meal as your reward. Organize an active activity, like a Holiday Run, OR a group Beachbody workout. Then you can all reward yourself with a delicious meal, WITHOUT the guilt!
Eat slower. One of the biggest reasons why we all overeat is because we’re eating too quickly for our brain to relay the “I’m full” signal, which usually takes about 15-20 minutes. So, eat slower and stop when you’re satisfied, not stuffed!
Hydrate. Have a water bottle with you all the time, and DRINK UP BUTTERCUP! Most of the time we mistake “thirsty” signals for “hungry” signals. So quench that thirst with water, and you’ll avoid overeating too!
Stock your  freezer. Either pre-made or recipes you’ve whipped up and frozen—stocking your freezer full of healthy meals is a GREAT way to ensure healthy eating during the busy holiday season!
Organize fun activities, instead of ones that revolve around eating! Try sledding, snowboarding, skiing, hiking, OR just walking and looking at Christmas lights! Get our and get active!
 BE REALISTIC! You’re probably not going to lose tons of weight over the holidays, but it definitely is realistic to maintain, and maybe even lose a couple if you’re dedicated! Focus on maintaining your healthy lifestyle!


If you're looking for an image of all of these to share, you're in luck! I generated one to share with my family and friends on facebook!

Happy Holidays everyone! I know it's a struggle, but let's try to stay HEALTHY this Holiday Season! 

I'm sorry! I know I've been MIA, particularly with my recipes lately! I'm going to focus a lot on remedying that! In fact, I have a new idea to give MOTW a face-lift!

Money is something that I know is a point of distress for a lot of graduate students, am I right? So, when I find a really great recipe or combination of recipes for the week that fall on or below my $50 a week shopping budget, you'll be the first to know!

So, this week I'm kicking off my budget MOTW with two great recipes!!

Now before I get to the recipes, I want to tell you about my shopping process. I have some go-to meals and snacks. In fact, the only thing that I really switch up during the week is my dinners!

Breakfast: Shakeology
AM Snack: Fruit (usually banana or an apple), sometimes I have greek yogurt too
Lunch: Kale salad with protein (hard boiled egg or chicken)
PM Snack: Veggies (Celery or Cucumbers) + Hummus
Dinner: Varies
**Optional after dinner snack: Greek yogurt**

So before I go to the store, I take stock of what I have.

For breakfast, do I have almond milk and coffee and tea to mix with my Shakeology?
For my snacks, do I have fruit? Do I have veggies and hummus?
For lunch, do I have my kale? Do I some sort of protein to mix in? Do I have oil and balsamic vinegar for my dress?
And for dinner, I pick out my recipes and build my grocery list around what I don't have for that recipe.

Then, it's off to the store!  Today, what I got at the grocery store was this!
  • Kale (2 bunches)
  • Celery (1 bunch)
  • Hummus (1 container Kroger private selections)
  • 1 lb lean ground turkey (93% lean)
  • Frozen mixed veggies (for both recipes) - 3 different kinds (peppers and onions; vegetable soup mix; mirepoix mix)
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes, canned
  • 2 more zucchini (i already had one)
  • 15 oz fat free cottage cheese (slightly cheaper than ricotta)
  • 24 oz of skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1 lb of salmon chunks with skin (cheaper than salmon filets)
  • Curry powder (recipe called for green curry paste, but I couldn't find it in the grocery store)
  • 1 gallon of Silk coconut milk
  • 1 box of minute brown rice
After all was said and done (and rung up) - my groceries totaled $38.06 after Kroger Club savings! That's less than $40 for a weeks worth of groceries!  

Now to the recipes!

Firstly, a recipe from my good friend Rachel's new cookbook, 30 Quick, Easy Meals which can be found on Amazon in both a hard copy and a kindle edition pdf! It's a GREAT cookbook, especially for people who are on a budget AND are short on time!  So, today, from that cookbook I will be cooking Curried Salmon over Rice!

What you need:

  • Salmon
  • Frozen veggies
  • Curry powder (or curry paste if you can find it)
  • At least 14 oz of coconut milk
  • Brown rice

Basically, these recipe was so delicious and so easy to make! I was surprised! I've never made curry anything before. In fact, I've never even eaten curry before. But everything in this just sounded so great.  Basically, here's the gist...

  1.  The recipe called for a salmon fillet, but as I mentioned above, buying the salmon chunks was cheaper! I sauteed these skin-side down for about a minute. They should still be pretty raw.  
  2. Take the skin off of the salmon pieces and break them into bite-sized chunks
  3. Mix your salmon and frozen veggies (I used mainly the the peppers & onions and the mirepoix mix) with curry powder.  
  4. Add coconut milk and let simmer until the sauce thickens. 
  5. Cook the rice while curry is simmering.  
  6. When it's the thickness you want, you're done! Ladle some curry mix over your rice and you're good to go!
This recipe was delicious! And it's just a teaser of all the delicious, quick recipes that are found in Rachel's cookbook! I HIGHLY suggest you check it out here!

Secondly, we've got a recipe that has become a favorite in my challenge groups--ZUCCHINI LASAGNA! For my fellow Italian peeps, this is a GREAT way for you to get your pasta fix without all the carbs associated with pasta dishes!  This is a recipe that I adapted from Skinny Taste's Zucchini Lasagna Recipe.

Now, fair-warning, this recipe is a bit labor intensive. But, I'm telling you, the taste is SO worth it!

What you need:

  • Ground turkey
  • Frozen veggies (or fresh) *optional for meat sauce*
  • Herbs and seasonings for sauce *optional*
  • Crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
  • 3-4 Zucchini
  • Salt (for zucchini preparation)
  • 15 oz cottage cheese or ricotta 
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese (for sprinkling between layers and on top)
Firstly, I tackled the sauce! This is a great thing to start with because it's going to simmer while you prep the other components.  

Basically, the great thing about meat sauces is that you can put whatever you want in it!  Meat sauces are super flexible like that! You want beef? Great. Peppers? Great. Hate peppers and want tons of garlic and onions? Awesome. Corn? That's great too!

Start by sauteing the ground turkey until there's no more pink. I ladled out the majority of the fat, but left a little bit in there for sauteing the rest of the veggies.

Then mix in your frozen veggies. Whichever ones you'd like! I stuck with the pepper & onion mix, as well as the mirepoix mix that I used in the last recipe.  I then added the crushed tomatoes, basil and italian seasoning to taste, as well as a bit of sugar to bring out the natural sweetness of the tomatoes. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes so all the flavors meld together. 

Now onto the zucchini...

Prepping the zucchini is by far the most labor intensive part of this process. You're probably think, why the heck would that be? Don't you just need to slice into strips and go?

Well, actually, no. Zucchini are very watery veggies. And, what we need to do is dry them out as much as possible or else you're lasagna is going to be more like soup than lasagna.   

So, after you've sliced everything into strips (and they don't have to be perfect...as you can tell mine aren't)...salt them! Salt will help bring out the juices, which you can then dab off.  Salt them and let them sit for at least 10 minutes.  Blot off any excess water.

Then, grill them, again blotting off the excess water after they've been grilled.

While you're zucchini are grilling - make your cottage cheese mixture by combining the 15oz of  cottage cheese with your parmesan cheese.  Set aside for assembly...

Now, you can assemble your lasagna!  During this time, I also preheated my oven to 375F.

Basically, this part is super easy! Kind of messy, but definitely easy! 

Start with your meat sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Layer zucchini on top of that.
Then your cottage cheese mixture.
Sprinkle with some of your mozzarella cheese.
Then layer some more zucchini.

Repeat this process until you run out of ingredients, and then top with mozzarella cheese!

I don't really think that pan size matters for the lasagna. Basically, if you want really thick lasagna, use a smaller pan. And a larger pan if you want your lasagna to have less layers.

After you've assembled your lasagna...bake covered for 45 minutes. Do not forget to cover! I totally did at first and it will save you some mess if you remember to cover your lasagna now!

After the 45 minutes have elapsed, uncover your lasagna and continue baking for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on top.  

After baking, if you have the patience to wait and not dig in immediately, let your lasagna rest for 10 minutes. It will hold its shape better when you cut into it.  


While I was waiting for my lasagna too cook, I tackled some other miscellaneous meal prepping tasks.  This is a great time for that!

So, what did I do?

Ripped up kale for my kale salads
Chopped celery for my afternoon veggies and hummus
Hard boiled eggs for my lunch salad protein
Cooked and diced up a chicken breast for salad protein.

All my meals are essentially ready to be eaten! All I have to do is some assembly!  Super easy!

And now, I'm done for the day!  I'm sitting on my couch watching Harry Potter...haha.

Happy Meal Prep Sunday!










I really want to talk to you all today about using "self talk." 

Firstly, what is self talk? 

I think of self-talk as your inner voice. I feel like all of us have an inner monologue. Sometimes, it's good! Sometimes your inner voice is full of positive things that make you feel good about yourself and what's going on in your life. Sometimes it's optimistic!  But, self talk can also be really bad and really negative.  Basically, it's the exact opposite. It gets you down, makes you feel crappy about your situation or yourself.  This is never a good thing! We want to try to keep our inner monologue positive or at the very least motivating, not self-deprecating or degrading!

You might be curious as to why I chose the images I did for my banner at the top of the page. Well, because my self-image was so insanely positive in both those images that I just felt personally like they fit this post so well. The first time I wore the maxi dress in the picture of me on the left, I firstly had never been able to wear a maxi dress before. They were all to long or too clingy and I just didn't feel comfortable. I put this dress on and my first thought was "Damn I look good!" That's positive self-talk! Now, let's talk about how you can change your positive self-talk and then, how your can apply it!

How can you change your inner monologue or "self talk"?

1) Listen to what you say before you say it! 
In the same way that we've taught ourselves to think before we speak, think before you, well, THINK! Haha okay that might not make perfect sense, but what I'm trying to say is monitor your internal dialogue! Look for patterns and triggers and learn what things tip you off toward your negative inner monologue starts. That way you can either steer clear of those triggers OR you can anticipate the negative self talk before it happens and alter it!

Stop negative self talk, @Bryce Esch Esch & @Connie Hamon Brzowski Kaelin con & obviously @Diane Haan Lohmeyer Baker!!2) Journalling.

I'm a huge proponent of journaling! I get 90% of my negative emotions out in my journal, that way I can truly evaluate the problem at hand, address it, and hopefully move on! Now, you may think that having a chronicle of all your negative emotions may be a bad thing, but I actually kind that having recorded my mistakes or feelings about certain things keeps me from dwelling on them and actually a) improves my focus, and also b) keeps those negative thoughts and feelings OUT of my internal monologue!

3) SOS Response
I JUST found this image on pinterest! The image I found wasn't linked to a website, so I apologize if this was someone else's content or image that I'm using. I would have linked to your site if that had been available from where I found this image.  This is a fantastic strategy for dealing with negative self-talk! STOP and allow yourself the opportunity to address your thought. OBSERVE what you're saying and how it makes you feel! SHIFT your perspective and response!

 4) Do something positive for yourself!
It's easy to adapt to a more positive way of thinking when you KNOW that you've done something good for yourself! Workout! Get a haircut! Spend two minutes longer on your beauty routine! Where something you feel sexy in! Commit to a week of healthy living! All those things will make you FEEL better and thus you will have a better perspective on yourself!

Next, how "self-talk" be used?


When you're working out:
I don't know about you all, but I've found that one of the dangers of working out by yourself is that you really get in your head during your workout. Now, if you're having a really focused day, that can be a great thing! But, if your motivation is lacking...it can be hard to stay motivated and to keep pushing yourself! That's when I use SELF TALK! When I catch myself going, "I can't, I can't," I will literally say out loud to myself, "YES YOU CAN! Keep pushing!" Sometimes, I will even list off the people that are counting on me OR the reasons why I wanted to do this workout!  OUT LOUD! Always out loud!


To reduce your stress:

Have you ever caught yourself needlessly freaking out over nothing? About school? About your upcoming meeting/wedding/date? How do you usually cope? I know for me it used to be this constant stream of thoughts about the worst case scenario and it would just cause me to freak out more, and sometimes even manifested itself in illness! Instead of perpetuating the cycle, change your thinking and allow your self-talk to enable you and to build up how well you can manage the situation, how capable you are, OR how little it will truly matter in the scheme of your life if things don't work out perfectly. You think you just screwed up that date you just went on? Instead of telling yourself, "Oh my god I'm going to be single forever!!", tell yourself "Oh well if he doesn't get my awkward humor someone else will find it HILARIOUS!" You made a mistake during your presentation at work? That's unfortunate! But instead of running around going "Oh I'm such an idiot! I'm going to get fired!", say to yourself "Well now I know better for next time, and I'll absolutely kill it then!"


Improve your focus.
Sometimes when I get side tracked at work, I'll find myself say "No, no. You don't need to do that now. It's only getting you off track. Stay focused for ____, ____, and ____"


If you don't use self-talk already--start implementing it now! Positive self-talk can legitimately change your life. Not only can it help to improve your self-esteem, but it can draw others to you! Once you adopt a positive, uplifting spirit about yourself, people will be drawn to you because they will want that energy and spirit in their own lives. They will want that positivity to rub off on their own life. Not only will adopting a positive inner monologue and self-talk change your life internally, but it will attract the kind of people that we all want, and you will change other peoples lives as well!

Until next time,



RESOURCES:



What are you saying when you talk to yourself? If your self-talk is not what it should be, you need to read this. | Read more at http://artofabeautifullife.com/man-in-the-arena/

Today I wanted to address something that has been dear to my heart this week. This idea that we have such a skewed perception of ourselves. That sometimes other people see us and everything we have to offer more clearly than we see ourselves.  Naturally you're going to be harder on yourself than someone else will be, but you know what? Sometimes our critiques are misplaced and sometimes our judgement and criticism of ourselves are more unfair than anything else.  

I tell people all the time that I have never been a person that's entirely comfortable with who I am or comfortable with my body. When I was in high school and college, I hated my legs. Like, no joke, HATED them. In college, I had (and still have) a really tall, beautiful friend who I would always joke with about having a leg transplant.  There were so many times when we'd go out together that I'd strategically choose my outfit to show of something about my body that I knew she didn't have.

Add on top of that the fact that I never said what I thought because I was afraid of people judging me for it.  It was a lethal combination. I had NO CONFIDENCE in myself. And you know what - that's FUCKED UP!  I'm sorry for swearing, but it really is! There's nothing worse you can do to yourself and your self esteem than constantly compare yourself to what you think society has deemed ideal!

So, what's motivating this post? I've been asking myself that question since I started writing this post on July 11th. (Yup...it really does take me that long to build a post! Sorry!!)  And it's taken me until now to fully realize what that motivation is.  My motivation is coming from this epiphany that I've had! This realization that since I've started doing Beachbody coaching, I have seen a dramatic and profound shift in my personal perception. A shift that I've only noticed in the past 2-3 weeks!  Like, when someone compliments me, instead of thinking their compliment comes from some manipulative place OR comes from wanting something from me, I genuinely believe it.

This is an excerpt from a message I sent to my friend Kaylie, who is a fellow Beachbody coach:
Confidence issues have been a problem for me my whole life. This might be an over share, but I'm going to tell you something anyway. I'd have boyfriends in the past or guys that I was dating and they'd tell me that I'm beautiful and I legit would not believe them. I would look in the mirror and all I would see was my thick soccer player legs and I would HATE them. I would think I was fat. That I wasn't pretty. And for whatever reason, like 2 weeks ago, I met this guy. Literally a random guy who I gave my number to (and still haven't heard from lol). And at several points throughout the night he told me how hot I was and, for the first time in my life, I caught myself thinking in my head "you're damn right I am!"...I literally did a double take and was just like, wait who is this person? What happened to the girl who's inner voice always used to say "no you're not. He's just trying to get laid"? This is the inner monologue that used to play in my head. And it took 25 years, but things are finally changing. And I'm freaking positive that it's Beachbody that made that mental change for me. Knowing that I'm strong and healthy, and doing the personal development, and having all of YOU wonderful ladies around me has allowed me to make that change!
That's the best I can put into words what I've been feeling lately.  What I've been noticing lately in myself!  This complete and utter shift in mentality.  This newly discovered confidence.

I'm going to share an incredibly personal video with you all that I recorded on Monday.  But, before I do, I want to give you some background on the video.  As part of our personal development and support of each other on my Beachbody team (Team Total Balance - woot woot!!), we do essentially skill building groups where we receive training on Beachbody and also personal development tasks to better understand ourselves and our motivations. One such thing was developing an idea of what our "why" is.  Why are we all doing Beachbody coaching?  Kaylie posted this wonderful video about what her why was, and why she was motivated to help people in pursuing Beachbody and some of the things she said in that video really struck a chord with me.  So, I recorded my own video.

This is deep. Personal. And I'm really putting myself out there. But, I feel like this needs to be shared. And what better place to share it?

I have FOUND my confidence.  

I used to only seek external validation, as I said in the video.  90% of this validation I didn't believe I deserved or I didn't believe it was true.  I used to dress up and workout purely hoping that other people would think I look good. My family, my friends, that cute guy at the bar. But, it's different now.  

I do all this for me - all this waking up at the crack of dawn to workout, reading of personal development books instead of watching movies, eating healthy instead of always eating pizza.  I DO THIS FOR ME! Because it makes me feel so good and so damn confident! A confident I've never felt before! And that in and of itself is so much more important than anything I could ever get from any other person!  I FEEL better about myself. And that's something that is invaluable and it took me this long in my life to realize that self love and self confidence can move mountains.  

So, ask yourself...

Do you judge yourself unfairly? 
Do you rely on other people to validate you? 
Do you believe the compliments people pay
And finally, what are you doing to change that? What makes you feel the most confident, the sexiest, the most sure of yourself?  

DO THAT THING!  LATCH ONTO THAT THING! And fight like hell to make sure that thing stays in your life for the long haul. For me it was Beachbody.  Beachbody gave me that!

We ALL deserve to feel that confidence in ourselves, and it took A LOT for me to find mine! Beachbody helped so much with that. But you know, it's not about the workouts or the fitness or the fact that I feel physcially stronger. It's the fact that for the first time I'm validating myself! 

You deserve to be too. You deserve to find that confidence.  So, give yourself some credit for everything that you have done! Own the praise you receive because people are much more genuine than you think.  And when they take the time to compliment you, they genuinely mean it!  

 Change your mindset. Change your perception. Change your attitude, because you ARE worthwhile and you DO deserve everything that has come to you in your life!  

I want to help you in any way that I can to find that! Message me on Google + or comment below if I can help you find that for yourself!

I love you all! Even though I don't know you, I hope you know that I love you for reading this, and I love you for sharing this exceptionally personal moment with me!  It is RAW and REAL and I'm terrified to publish this post...haha.

But you know what - the things you're scared of are usually the most worthwhile.  
I'm doing a Beachbody coaching apprenticeship right now with my upline coach, and she posted this video this morning. And I don't know why exactly, but it struck a chord. So much so that I HAD to share!  This is powerful stuff.

Listen to the words.

 Watch the images.

 And ask yourself...

 How bad do you want it?

 How far would you go for your dreams?







Let me ask you again...how bad do you want it? How big are you willing to dream?
I've been dying to write this review since the day I got 21 day fix! Now, two rounds later, and I'm happy to say that I'm beyond satisfied with this program and how it turned out!

I'm not saying that everything went perfectly and that it was all sunshine and roses, but the results speak for themself!

 7 pounds...1" off my waist...1" off my hips. Arm and ab definition like I've never had before!

 But, this is a review, so I will tell you what I LOVED, where I struggled, and even what I didn't like! So, here it goes!

Struggles:
Those damn yellow containers....
I really don't  know what else to say. I'm Italian. I like my pasta...and pizza...and garlic bread. And beer. Ya...the yellow containers are really hard for me! I sort of half-assed the food part of the program for the first time through, and didn't really lose a lot of weight. But, pre-challenge group, I really decided that I would fully commit to this the second time around, including the food and that made all the difference in the results. But ya, the yellow ones are definitely the hardest for me.

Also, another struggle for me was getting more creative with my veggies!  I'm very much a salad girl.  That's my favorite way to eat veggies, for sure, but what with only being allowed 1 orange per day, I struggled with how to get my veggies in, because, let's face it, I'm not about to eat a dressing-less salad! So, I had to come up with new strategies for getting my veggies in, since I had to get 3 greens in during the day!  My favorite trick became throwing a hefty handful of chopped spinach into my shakeology for breakfast in the trust me, you can't even taste the spinach once you're done!  Check out my post about green smoothies for tips and recipes ideas!  Then, I would tend to have a big kale salad for lunch. And for my last veggie, I would either have a snack of veggies and hummus (I liked cucumbers, celery or tomatoes), OR I would save up that last veggie for dinner and sautee some veggies into a veggie stir-fry or my favorite Paleo Phad Thai or get another serving of veggies at dinner in one of my many chili recipes!
morning--

 Dislikes:
These are actually very few and far between for me because I was so happy with the eating portion of this program, and the workouts definitely delivered on their promises to get me strong and toned! You definitely feel the burn!  The only thing that I maybe didn't like was the fact that there was a workout everyday for 3 weeks, but I think maybe that's part of the deal when you buy a program designed to deliver big results in 3 weeks!
The recipes are my only other complaint. The food book tells you what to eat and gives you some recipes, but I really never used them. I relied a lot on pinterest, the internet, my challenge group girls, and my coach to give me good recipe ideas.

LOVES:
-Those adorbs little containers!! Need I say more? I'm done with 21 day fix now and I still  use them all the time!
- The modifications in literally every workout! You'll probably need them! I definitely did! The side plank in, I think, Dirty 30 I had to modify up until the very last day I did that workout! Yay for progress!
-The workouts. Seriously. Ass kicking at it's finest! Especially cardio fix! That one is a killer! But don't worry, it's a good kind of ass-kicking!
-Autumn. Seriously, I'm a fan of Autumn. I have always been a big Jillian Michaels fan, and you definitely need the tough love like Jillian gives when you're making a big lifestyle change. But what I liked about Autumn is that she's like a more positive version of Jillian Michaels!  She cracks a couple jokes here and there with her workout buds in the videos and really draws you into the fun too! Plus, I love how much much she pushes them! It motivates me too!
-The Challenge group! Seriously, I wouldn't have had the successes I did without my group! That was my first challenge group, and I'd never thought I'd needed one because I always feel like if you're going to make a lifestyle change, you can't really on other people. You need to motivate yourself.  And I still believe that! But, you're going to have off days. You're going to have moments when you don't understand why you're putting yourself through it! And that's when having a team and a coach that are relying on you to commit with them is a GREAT thing!  When you get in moods like that, you remember that you have these people behind you that want you to succeed too, and they want to be motivated by you, and you eventually want to motivate them too!  That's the benefit a challenge group gives you and it is seriously invaluable!  
So, that's my 21 Day Fix review! If you're looking for a program that's simple, straight-forward, pushes you hard and tests your dedication, but delivers on it's promises in 21 days, then you should definitely try this program out!

Note: I was drinking Shakeology while on this program! Shakeology is meant to enhance your results by providing your body with the nutrition it needs to refuel and replenish after a tough workout!  If you want to know more, check out my post about Shakeology here!

Message me on Facebook or comment here if you want more information or if you want to try the program!
There's nothing better than having friends who are as into healthy, fresh ingredients as you are! Especially when it's a great friend from high school who you randomly get back in touch with!  My friend Rachel from high school recently published a cookbook, called Spring Kitchen, which you can now buy in a Kindle Edition on Amazon!


The very first thing that caught my eye in this cookbook was this lovely recipe -- Smoked Salmon, Asparagus, and Avocado Salad. I'm a smoked salmon fiend, what with being from the PNW and all. As I read through the recipe, I realized how long it had been since I'd had some! I had left over asparagus, spinach, and avocado from the previous week of shopping, among some other random ingredients! The only thing left to get was the smoked salmon and some raspberry balsamic vinegar for the dressing!  I had to modify the recipe a little bit to meet my 21 day fix needs, but all in all it worked out great! I whipped up the dressing with lemon, olive oil, and the raspberry balsamic vinegar, and voila! Deliciousness!!

I even packed it for lunch one day, keeping the avocado  and dressing in my separate, 21 day fix containers so that the salad wouldn't be soggy by the time I ate it! :-)

It was so delicious, you all! I can't even begin to explain! I highly suggest being a bit more diligent in removing the bones from your smoked salmon--you won't regret it!

For all my 21 Day Fix friends, this lovely salad was portioned out each time, with the spinach and asparagus contributing 2 green, the smoked salmon 1 red, the avocado 1 blue, and 1 orange for the dressing! It is delicious! And I highly recommend you pick up the book and try it!

Other phenomenal salads and other recipes that I can't wait to try from Rachel's Spring Kitchen cookbook are:
-Date, Feta, and Prosciutto Salad -->This one is delicious too! I just had it for lunch! Though I didn't have any dates! The dressing is amazing!
-Prosciutto & Arugula Naan Pizza
-Strawberry Kiwi Parfait with Granola
-Raspberry Baked Cod


The other thing that I made this week was what I just like to call "Throw it Together" Chili, because that's pretty much what I did! :-)

I had a couple cans or beans (black and kidney), some ground turkey, and a whole bunch of peppers! So, I literally just cooked up the ground turkey and threw everything into a crock pot with some chili powder, cumin, and red peppers flakes, and a little bit of water to make it more liquidy! I didn't measure any of the spices, but I definitely think I would use another chili recipe as reference next time because I don't think I added enough. But regardless, all of those ingredients just stewed away in the crock pot for about 8 hours--and voila! Easy, delicious, hearty, healthy meal! :-)

For all my 21 Day Fix friends, I did pre-measure all the components of my chili to see how much of each component I was putting in.  So each serving, (which should give you about 6 servings) will have 1 yellow (the beans), 1 red (ground turkey), 1 green (all the VEGGIES!!).


That's all for now, everyone!

HAPPY EATING! :-)
I've recently gotten obsessed with smoothies! My drinking Shakeology definitely has something to do with it, but it's so nice in the morning instead of making some labor intensive or boring breakfast to just through some good ingredients in a blender and whip yourself up a delicious, portable breakfast! Overall, it takes less time for me to make a smoothie purely because I can bring it with me when I travel to lab in the morning!  Having cereal or a yogurt isn't nearly as convenient, especially when I'm trying to rush out in the morning after my workout!

So, I thought I would share what I've found works really well for me for making my morning smoothie, which I even have on the weekends nowadays!  This post in particular is about making a green smoothie! It can me so much trickier to get that nice, smooth texture once you start adding in greens, like spinach! The first few times I made my smoothies, they tasted great, but there were these unsightly and unappetizing chunks and strings of spinach that did everything but add to my enjoyment of drinking my smoothie! So, below I have compiled a lit of things to know to make a really good smoothie! I've also included a recipe that I stole from my upline Beachbody coach! :-)

Things to Know:
-Get a Blender!  The higher power of blender you have, the better your smoothie will be blended! These usually range from $50-$100 and even as much as $400, with the lower power (but still fully functional) blenders costing more in the range from $30-$70.  So if you're not in the market for a new blender, that is totally fine! You'll just need to do some other things to make your smoothie smooth, which I've highlighted below!
-Liquid component first. This allows for the liquid to form a vortex and pull the other, solid ingredients into it so that they can be better combined.  It's a good idea to do this for both low and high powered blenders, but particularly for low powered blenders!
-Chop up your greens! This is especially important if you don't have a higher powered blender (like me!)
-Add your frozen component last! This might be just ice, or maybe you're using frozen fruit! I personally love frozen bananas to add a little bit of creaminess to your smoothie as well as a subtle, tropical flavor!  This is also a good idea because it pushes down your lighter ingredients, like your greens, closer to the blade so that they'll get better combined!
-Lastly, once you've gotten all your ingredients in, pulse the blender a few times before turning it on all the way. I usually use my ice crush button to do this! This starts to get your other ingredients pulled toward the bottom so that they'll get nice and chopped up instead of pushed away from the blender blade!  Once you've done that, start you blender on LOW and then crank it up to HIGH after a bit to really get those last few chunks of ice and greens blended down smooth!

 That's really it! It's super easy! Then throw your shake it a portable container--I love my Shakeology bottle--and voila! You've got a delicious, portable breakfast to start your day off right! :-)

I've included some recipes below (one to start off with, and I plan to add more later!):

 Recipes to Try:

 Greenberry Coffee Kickstart
-1C of drip Coffee (at whatever strength you desire)
-1/2 C of nut milk (I like Almond and coconut milk)
-Handful of chopped spinach (You can use other greens if you wish, but I like spinach because it's softer and it blends well)
-1 scoop of Greenberry Shakeology
-1 tsp of PB2 powdered peanut butter
-7-8 large ice cubes
Blend and Enjoy!

 Berry Delicious ShakeO:
-1.5C of almond milk
-Handful of chopped greens
-1 scoop of Strawberry Shakeology
-a handful of frozen mixed berries - add more of these for a thicker, fruitier shake
-2-3 large ice cubes
Blend and Enjoy!

Other Shakeology/Smoothie Recipes! These ones don't have green but you can totally add greens to them if you desire!

Mocha Frappuccino ShakeO:
-0.75C Almong Milk (I also have been using a delicious Almond-Coconut Milk Blend)
-1C Brewed coffee (refrigerated)
-1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
-Half a frozen banana *Optional, but adds a great creaminess to your smoothie
-1tsp of PB2 powdered peanut butter* Optional
-3-4 ice cubes
** With the colder weather I have been cutting back on the ice in my smoothie. I only add enough to make it a little bit frothy and not like a full-blown smoothie

 Peppermint Mocha Shakeology:
-12 oz of STRONG peppermint tea
-4-6oz of coffee
-a dash of almond milk just to get some creaminess
-Scoop of chocolate shakeology
-4 ice cubes if you desire
Blend and enjoy!

 Chai Tea Latte Shakeology
Same idea as the Peppermint Mocha but a little different
-12 oz of STRONG Chai Tea
-**Optional coffee if desired - I don't think this one needs it**
-4-8 oz of almong milk
-Scoop of VANILLA Shakeology
-4 ice cubes
BLEND AND ENJOY THE DELICIOUSNESS


Happy Blending!


Sorry for the late MOTW!  I've had a few oddball weekends! My parents came to visit a couple weeks ago and we went to Niagara falls so I was out of town for a bit and didn't do as much cooking that weekend. We ate out a ton, but I tried to make sure I was getting in lots of fruits and veggies, despite it all!!  It's all about balance after all people! :-D

Isn't it gorgeous?? I highly recommend you check out Niagara Falls if you ever have the chance!
Despite all the eating we'd done, after my parents left and headed home, I found myself with some serious craving for some carbs!  How often do you crave something carb filled and just delicious? Daily would probably be my response. So, after they left, when I was picking out my MOTW recipe to get me through the rest of the week, I stumbled across a gem, which has now become my personal favorite!

Paleo Phad Thai


 This was a recipe I found on Chelsea Eats Treats.  I instantly new this guy would be a hit! Why? 1) Phad Thai, 2) Spaghetti Squash, 3) Sriracha, and 4) PHAD THAI!!!!

This recipe was delicious and so easy!  And what makes it so healthy is that you're talking out all of that unnecessary carb and adding in some delicious spaghetti squash in it's place! Delicious!

Literally, all I did was cook up some chicken, cook a spaghetti squash, sautee a bunch of shredded cabbage (I used the store bought cole slaw mix), some green onions (I think I would do more next time), throw everything together and scramble some eggs along with them. The trickiest part was the sauce, which calls for lime juice, rice vinegar, sugar, water, fish sauce (I left this out and it was fine), oil, and red pepper flakes. Then garnish it all with some peanuts. I didn't have any peanuts, so I actually think I would melt some peanut butter into the sauce next time.

I liked to eat mine with a little squirt of sriracha on top! Yum!!

For the specific recipe, check out Chelsea Eats Treats! Gotta give credit where credit is due! :-)

Until next time,

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