Foods you will ALWAYS find in my house

A few items that are always in my arsenal...

Lowfat Vanilla Greek Yogurt- I use this for everything! It's a great guilt free treat and it's an awesome baking alternative to oil or butter, and can be used to make overnight oats. Love it!

Egg Whites- I keep these on hand in case I want to bulk up my breakfast without adding too many additional calories. I always opt for whole eggs, but might add in few egg white as well. Again, great sub for baking.

Unsweetened Almond Milk- This is a very low cal option, that feels like a creamier step above water. I use this in my protein shakes, and again for baking and overnight oats!

Avocado- I literally buy like 8 of these each time we go to the store. I use it in place of mayonnaise, and salad dressings.

Tuna- This is a protein packed super food low in calories. We buy several mini cans every week. I usually eat at least 2 servings of tuna each week.

La Croix, sparkling water- I love these because I feel like I'm getting a fizzy drink treat but zero calories and zero guilt. No sugar, no weird stuff, just yummy sparkly water.

Dave's Killer Bread (small loaf)- This bread is packed with grains and delicious. I have it most morning's with my breakfast. One slice is just 70 calories.

Protein Powder- I always have chocolate and vanilla protein powder on hand at my house. I use it in baking, and in treats. I am a big protein advocate so I pack it into anything I can!

Apples- I eat an apple almost every day. It's a great sweet treat when I start to feel hungry. I grab an apple and then think about what my body really needs instead of opting for crappy food.

PB2- I love peanut butter, and this dry mix is awesome because it's like 1/4 of the calories of the already made stuff and you can put it in everything!

Awesome Blog Find- Recipes

I am a huge fan of sweets and anything related to dessert. I am always looking for a new recipe to add sweets back into my life without being unhealthy or sabotaging my weight loss efforts. I found this amazing cookie recipe last night on Amy's Healthy Baking  blog. I started looking through the rest of the blog and its pretty amazing for a foodie trying to be healthy like me. Check it out!

If you are tired of starting over....

One of Autumn Calabrese's favorite things to say is... "If you are tired of starting over, stop giving up." Truer words were never spoken. However the advice is much harder to follow than one might imagine. In my journey over the past 2  1/2 years I have pretty much continued to keep gong, but i hit a slump, and I got tired and I got lazy, and unmotivated and I gave up for while. But here I am again, starting over.

The important thing really is not whether or not you give up, it's whether or not you start again. We all get busy, we all get tired, and unmotivated. It's hard to keep that kind of steam going forever.

Whole Wheat Protein Waffles

It is a challenge in my house to get my daughter to eat healthy food. Breakfast is the worst. She has recently been eating whole wheat Ego's with peanut butter, which is better than frosted flakes in my opinion, but still not the nutrition she really needs. So I researched a way to make protein waffles. I headed to Whole Foods and picked up some organic protein powder.

Because this is something I am feeding to my kids I was very careful to buy an organic protein power and not your basic muscle powder form the supplement store. *Please do your own research on what is safe and recommended for children. What I am ok feeding my children, may not be what you are ok feeding yours, and I am NOT and expert on nutrition.* 

I looked up a good recipe online and found this one from Blissfully Domestic  

My husband and I tried them out this morning, delicious! 272 calories per waffle (makes 4 large Belgian style waffles) with 19 grams of protein per waffle. I didn't separate the eggs like she said I just mixed them in whole. I also used almond milk instead of skim because that's all we had in the house. They were delicious and filling! Best part? I can make more and freeze them and have them ready to go every morning. 

Workout Ideas

I have completely stopped running, I think I will pick it up again as fall approaches and the weather cools down. I love being outside in the  fall air. But for now I am still in the gym. I have been making myself cheat sheets for 21 day fix workouts but I am ready for a new challenege. Here are two workouts I hope to try this week.

Dirty 30 Cheat Sheet

Today's gym cheat sheet... Dirty 30 workout from the 21 Day Fix

Warm Up: 2 times through
Run in place 1 minute
Jumping jacks 1 minute
Windmills 30 seconds forward 30 seconds backwards
Side stretch 30 seconds right 30 seconds left
Toe touches 1 minute alternating sides


Workout:  Each set is done two times, 1 minute per workout. 15 second rest between sets.

Set 1
Side Lunge with weights
Renegade Row (weights in hand in plank position, raise and lower the weight alternating sides)

Set 2
Sumo Row
Chest Fly Raise

Set 3 
Squat Lat Raise
Tricep Kick Back

Set 4 
Side bend with weights
Side Plank Raise ( Get in a side plank and lift and lower your leg 30 seconds right then turn over 30 seconds left)

Morning Smoothie

Smoothies and Cardio

I am falling in love with smoothies. This morning I had a peach, strawberry one. It made way more smoothie than I anticipated so I shared with my husband, which meant less nutrients for me... I need to switch up some portions next time so I can add more protien. Here  is what my smoothie contained

These amounts were doubled in the entire smoothie, I only listed my half. This is such a yummy easy way to get your fruits, veggies, and protein in.

Todays workout will be 21 Day Fix Cardio at the gym. I actually quickly scrolled through the video to write down the work out because I could not find it anywhere online which is super irritating so I am going to list it here for you if you are like me and can't be home to do a workout video, or you simply don't own the 21 day Fix and would like to really challenge yourself ftoday. It kicks your ass.

All workouts begin with the same warm up:

1 minute run in place
1 minute jumping jacks
30 second pinwheels forward
30 second pinwheels backwards
1 minute toe touches
30 second side reach right
30 second side reach right

Repeat this warm up section 2 times.

Workout:
Do each workout for 1 minute the entire workout should take 25 minutes.

Round 1
Cross Jacks
High Knees
Cross Jacks
High Knees

Round 2
Skater Jumps
Mountain Climbers
Skater Jumps
Mountain Climbers

Round 3
Reverse Lunge
Burpee
Reverse Lunge
Burpee

Round 4 
Lateral Squat Walk
Oblique Knees
Lateral Squat Walk
Oblique Knees

Bonus Round
Down Ups (Plank)

Weekend Food Prep You will Learn to LOVE it!

As I said in my last video the key to weight loss, and healthy eating is preparation. Every weekend we go shopping but before we head out I make a menu. I plan out dinners for the whole week, as well as lunches. This helps me to make a list. This weeks menu

Salad for lunches (with shrimp, chicken, beef)
Salmon with Aasparagus
Chicken Stir Fry with Cauliflower Rice
Spaghetti Squash with homemade sauce and meatballs
Naked Turkey Burgers with Cauliflower
Grilled Chicken with Broccoli
Burgers with Terra Chips

We go to Sams and buy produce and sometimes meat in bulk. This is what the cart looked like this week.

We also make a trip to King Soopers for things Sams doesn't carry. Overall we spend about $160 per week in groceries. What made us super excited was that switching to more produce didn't raise our bill at all.

When I get home I start prep. I get out all the produce and start chopping. I put everything into bags all measured out. ( I bought a pack of 6 peppers from Sams two weeks ago, these are the two we had left).

We get several servings of meat from one bag  so we put some of it in the freezer. I am not someone who worries about GMO's and I don't care about all organic or grass fed. This is a personal choice, but you can always buy organic free range meat and cook it and then measure and package. It's up to you. I buy precooked meats  a lot because it makes my life easier, with work and kids I need a little easy. two weeks ago I bought a precooked brisket from Sams, it made 19 servings and we still have some in the freezer to take to work.

The red container is from 21 Day Fix. It is a 1/2 cup. 

I will usually boil a carton of eggs as well to have boiled eggs all week as an option.

This preparation means I don't buy things I don't need at the store. It also means I can quickly grab foods that are good for me to make for lunch or snack. I am not tempted to grab a granola bar because I have healthy choices readily available. If you are committed to changing your life, you need to become committed to a little prep time. It will make you life  so much easier.

Why Counting Calories is Better

After trying a program that touts  a "no calorie counting" method to healthy eating and weight loss I have determined that for me counting calories is so much easier and allows me so much more freedom in food choice. In the 21 day fix you use the cups provided to measure out food portions. There is a guide that tells you what types of foods should be measured in each cup. It is a helpful way to see appropriate portion sizes, however it s not a long term solution in my opinion and here is why....

There are many foods and beverages that are not included in the guide, that leaves you wondering what color cup it should fit into. You risk throwing yourself off by eating/ drinking too much, or getting  discouraged if you do happen to have something that isn't on the guide because you worry you aren't really staying on track. I love soy chai, I don't have it all the time, but when I do what cup does that go in?? If I want an Odowala Bar is that a fruit? A grain? Is it a mix? What about Naked Smoothies.. are those a fruit, a veggie? Both? How do I measure that? What if I want a latte? The possibilities are endless honestly there are many foods that don't fit this profile. If I was committed to eating completely clean, no processed foods at all I can see how this would possibly be the best solution, but thats isn't real for me and I am guessing that isn't real for many of you. You are making changes, but still eating some of the foods you used too.

If you are counting calories you can easily see where you are all all times in the day. the My Fitness pal app has literally every food you can imagine. People add to it all the time, the database is immense. You can also add your own foods, which allows you freedom to be creative and make up recipes. You can eat out and quickly see the calorie content.

You can't carry those cups everywhere. I mean you could, but where is the practicality in that? You can track calories on the go on your phone. You can even scan in barcodes and it will add the food for you right away. You also can't dissect foods you eat at a restaurant and start measuring them out at the table.

The cups are great for teaching yourself portion control, and for teaching you the right foods to eat, and how much of each food group you should eat in a day. I was eating way too many grains. I still use the cups to measure out meats because I don't have a scale, but the red cup is 1/2 cup which ends up being 3-4 oz of meat, that is a serving size. It is a helpful guide. It is also helpful to see what bracket you should be in for your weight loss goals, however the My Fitness Pal app gives you rough calculation on that as well. It has worked very well for me so far.

After a while you start to know how many calories are in all the foods you eat, you become super educated and prepared to make choices on the run. Counting calories trains you to really see the food for what it is, and allows freedom in choosing foods. If you find yourself struggling with the cups, maybe switch it up, use them as a measuring guide, but start counting those caloires. I think you will find it's actually easier in the long run. Give the fix a chance for 21 days at least. Especially if you have really been struggling to lose. You paid for it, use it! But don't try to live on it forever.

Preparation: Video Post

It's Your Choice

I have been thinking about this post for a little while now, and I think it is super important. Aside from our excuses, what really gets in the way of us losing weight? What keeps us from succeeding and reaching our goals?

It's that bullsh$@& story we keep telling ourselves. It's that idea that we have of who we are and what we can accomplish. We all have an idea of who we are. This can act as a road block moving forward. We get stuck in story that we have created. We have decided that we can't. We simply aren't that kind of person.

Prior to losing weight I had many attempts and fails. Each time I would tell myself I can't do this. I am not this person. I am not active, I am not a health nut. I had defined myself as lazy, unmotivated, incapable. I saw pictures of fit women and I thought "well they are clearly everything I am not."

The truth all along was that I had the power to choose. I was the one who built those walls that defined me and I had the power at any moment to tear them down. That's the greatest part! You have the power within yourself to wake up and decide to be different. You don't have to keep living that same old story. You can be someone new! It's amazing really when you think about it.

Every day is a new opportunity to stop telling yourself you can't and decide you are the kind of person who CAN. Think about who you want to be and why, and then simply decide to be it! We all have stumbling blocks and change is not perfect, it takes time, and you will have set backs. But you can keep reminding yourself that this is not who you are anymore.

If you lacked motivation you would not get up everyday and do what you had to do. You would not be mom, you would not cook, or clean, or help kids with school work. You would not meet friends, or read books, or take showers. Simply getting up every day and living requires motivation, so see you have that trait!! You are capable, you succeed at things every single day. You are worth it. You are amazing, you are kind, you are beautiful. You are the author of this story. It is YOUR life, you decide who you are and who you are not. You have the power over you.

Break the walls, shatter the misconceptions and redefine yourself. It's a new day :)

Trying New Foods

This week we are trying several new foods in an attempt to add more fruits and veggies to our diet and get rid of as many carbs as possible.

Monday night was Spaghetti with Zoodles (Zucchini noodles). Huge hit with my husband, my son tolerated them Lexie had to be force fed.... They will be a staple so hopefully the kids get used to it!

6-8 zucchini noodled
Spaghetti sauce of your choice
16 meatballs

That's it! Super easy.

*Image from Google Search*

The kids do love dessert but we are trying to establish healthier habits there as well. For dessert we had Greek God Vanilla Honey Yogurt with pecans. My son LOVED it, my daughter not so much... 

Tuesday morning I tried my hand at flour less banana pancakes. Hit with everyone except my little girl.

*Image from Eugines Kitchen* 

Tuesday evening 93/7 hamburger patties with cauliflower rice I love the cauliflower rice, seriously I may never eat regular rice again. I mixed in some butter and salt... delicious! 

*Image from Google Search*

Dessert apple slices with peanut butter and chocolate chips! We skipped the granola and nuts. 

*Image from Google search*

Wednesday Morning Tuesday night I prepare eggs in muffin tins for the week. It's can be challenging when we have to get up so early to make something healthy, so this preparation makes breakfast simple. Just bag them up and re heat in the morning. I added a 10 oz glass of Naked Green Machine smoothie. 

9 eggs

1 cup spinach

1/2 cup diced bell peppers

1/2 Turkey Sausage link

*Image from Google Search*

Wednesday  Turkey Burgers (no bun) with Cucumber salad

Tomatoes diced

Cucumbers diced

Light Italian Dressing

Fresh Parsley (optional) 

*Image from Google Search*

Thursday meatballs and broccoli 

Friday My husband and I usually go out. Last two Friday's we had ModMarket roasted chicken, rosemary sweet potato mash, and arugala salad. 

Salad, your new best friend

My favorite salads

Berry Bacon Goat Cheese

2-4 slices of bacon
1-2 cups of mixed greens
1/4 cup of goat cheese
1/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup blueberries
2 TBS sliced almonds
2 TBS light raspberry vinaigrette

Shrimp Avocado no salad Salad

1/2 cup salad shrimp

1/3 cup chopped orange bell pepper

1/3 cup cucumber diced

1/3 cup sliced baby tomatoes

1/4 cup avocado

2 TBS light Italian dressing

Beef Brisket Chipotle Salad

1/2 cup beef brisket

1-2 cups spinach

1/3 cup sliced mushrooms

1/3 cup baby tomatoes

2 TBS Chipotle Ranch dressing

A Day in the life of a 21 Day Fixer

My daily goal is 3 greens, 4 reds, 2 purples, 2 yellows, 1 blue, 1 orange, and 2 tsp. 1200-1499 calories

The day starts with 1 Green and 1 Red- Spinach Mushroom omelet (no cheese) 

Snack around 9:30am or 10:00  1 Red and 1 Blue- Greek yogurt with pecans 

Lunch is 1 Yellow, 1 Green, and 1 Red- Brisket, couscous, and broccoli

 11/2  purple- A peach for snack

Dinner is 1 Green 1 Yellow and 1 Red 1 tsp-  Turkey meatballs, spinach and mushrooms sautéed in olive oil and brown and wild rice mix.

After dinner snack 1 Purple and 2 tsp- 1/2 an apple and 2 tsp of organic peanut butter.

(not pictured 1 Red- 1/2 cup pulled pork for snack)  

**Total of 1622 Calories- my daily goal is 1488. However the last two days I netted under 1000 calories a day so going a bit over my limit today seemed reasonable. I had been feeling weak like I was going to  pass out today so I decided I needed to eat more. I also had two cups of coffee today with 2 individual creamers in each. Creamers are technically not "allowed" in the 21 day fix**

My workout today