It has taken time for me to adjust to seeds , I just think it's a texture thing. Since healthy fats are so important for our bodies, I"m working on this and eat chai and pumpkin seeds now. I'm a work in process. We also save our pumpkin seeds after carving our pumpkins at Halloween and roast them. There are some amazing and EASY recipes on Pinterest. Moderation is KEY though because a serving size is 2 TBSP!
21 Day Fix Raspberry Vinaigrette
If there was ever a dressing that I wanted to eat with a spoon...THIS. IS. IT!!!
Raspberry Vinaigrette
1⁄2 C fresh raspberries
2 TB. Raw honey
1 TB. Reduced fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt
3 TB. Fresh lemon juice
1 1⁄2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
1 TB. Chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 tsp. dried tarragon)
1⁄2 tsp. ground black pepper
1⁄2 tsp. Sea salt / Himalayan salt (to taste; opt)
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Place all ingredients, except oil, in blender (or food processor); cover. Blend until smooth. Slowly add oil, blending constantly until well mixed. Makes 11 servings (approx. 2 TB. Each)
Sweat does not lie!
I am so thankful and humbled that I got selected for the Shift Shop Coach's Test Group. It's hard. The diet is challenging. But change usually is. They say if it's worth working for, it's worth doing right, right?
Haven't missed a day of exercise, and have mostly stayed on point with food, but not gonna lie, I'm all about lifestyle changes and not dieting because then you maintain your results. So I'm ok with less than radical changes that will stick long term.
45 min door to door and burned more calories than 60 min Strike class at Lifetime 😱👏🏻🙌🏻💪🏻
Cauliflower crust - this is a must!
I feel like two foods are very trendy right now...cauliflower and coconut... EVERYTHING!! I happen to be allergic to coconut so that's out for me and so are a lot of granola bars, desserts, speciality waters, etc., but cauliflower and I are friends. haha I want to try this soon! Click HERE for details and Let me know if you do!
Oh Kale Yeah
Tonight my awesome street went to dinner at Ruggels Green to kick of summer. I ❤️ our street, have I said that before? 😂. And I love this salad too!! "Oh Kale Yeah" with a protein added (Salmon medium rare). If you eat clean, this is 100% spot on.
They say 70% of weight loss is a result of what you eat. That's why following the Shift Shop meal plan has been so important! I'm really enjoying this NEW take on the container plan from the 21 Day Fix. Over the 3 weeks, the workouts get harder and longer a little at a time, while at the same time, we are slowly ramping DOWN our carbs and ramping UP our fat and protein.
I've never tried a carb depletion diet before, and I have to say, it has been a lot easier than I thought it would be!
My body feels completely happy with all the other fats, proteins and greens that I'm getting, so I'm actually just fine with the amount of carbs so far!
Next week we go completely carb-free for our last week of round 1!! 😬😱
Then we add a low level of carbs back in for round 2 of the test group. Hoping I can pull that off while traveling the world 🤗 Our bodies need carbs, so going completely carb-free should only be done for a short time in my opinion. This has been a fun process for me and I'm learning a ton along the way! Read more about carb depletion benefits and risks HERE.
70 Superfoods for only $4.15. Say no more!
He seriously cried because I made myself a chocolate shakeology for snack. Seriously son? He requested "the green one" which isn't Greenberry, its Vanilla with spinach. Yes...THIS KID...that doesn't eat vegetables!!! It could be $10 a shake and I'd still pay it. 😂 But $4...really...you could spend that on fro yo or a milkshake and not bat an eye, this is just as tasty (or better) and fuels my kid with 70 superfoods, with KALE being one of the many ingredients.
Kale can surprise you!
Kale is our new favorite thing in our house!! Check Pinterest for a gazillion kale recipes!! Kale chips are a hit with my kids and they literally eat them first and ask for seconds!! What are your favorite ways to use Kale? I have a cookbook on just Kale...I'm serious y'all, try it!
Minute Muffins
Has anyone tried these "Minute Muffins" from Kodiak Cakes? My kids love these, and the ingredients are pretty good! 👍🏻 I love Kodiak pancake mix and we chose the protein recipe which swaps milk for water and you add an egg. I sometimes add vanilla shakeology too rather than buying the flavored pancake mixes because then I can keep it clean.
And I am a pro anything that takes only 1 minute to prepare. haha When you're traveling, you do the best you can, so check these out at the store. Even Target carries them.
Triple Chocolate Shakeology - yummm!!
Talk about a sweet treat! Have you tried this recipe yet?? If not, you should! Check it out HERE!
Choosing the right salad
Chosing the right salad seems simple and for the longest time, I just based it on calories and the dressing. I always chose vinaigrettes over creamy and omitted croutons when I served it, and triple washed it even though it says "pre-washed" on the bag. But recently I discovered if you buy the bag that's the flattest, the air was sucked out of it when packaged and it is the most fresh. When the greens age, they give off gas which makes the bags puffier; therefore, they go bad quicker. See if you notice this during your next grocery shopping trip.
How does your grocery cart look?
If I don't buy it, then I won't eat it. That is my mantra because I have limited self control, esp when 2pm rolls around. It's similar to a two year old's attention span 😬 when it's in my pantry I graze or stress eat because let's face it, adulting is hard. But look at all the color in these foods! Not one thing was processed and it didn't cost me more to make these choices.
Next time you're at the store, look at the back of canned goods. You will be surprised. Who knew tomato sauce, ketchup, peanut butter, beans...could hide so much honey! I found buying the regular can of black beans, with full sodium was 100% clean and I would just wash them 3 times to rinse off the extra sodium. But when you look at the back of the low-sodium can of black beans, there are all these additives and chemicals. No thank you! Be in control of what you allow in your house and in your family's tummy. You only get one life, chose to live it the way you want!
Way to go Jeannie!
What stands out most in these 2 pictures? My favorite thing is her smile because it's just as big in both. She was already happy with her "before" picture and usually people are ho-hum "before" and stoked "after", right? 🤗
This is Jeannie Smith, she's a boy mom, wife, Beachbody coach, Beachbody challenger and can make food that would throw gourmet chefs, under the table. I mean really y'all, it's pretty amazing and it's straight from our 21-day Fix provided menus; mine never quite look as good 😂
We met in Dec 2015 through a Stroller Strides Facebook group and my life has never been the same!! She has lived the 80 / 20 rule and made this a lifestyle change, changed her family's diet to clean eating, exercises most days (30 min or less y'all, really?!) and drinks / eats Shakeology Every. Single. Day. Dedication pays off and what better investment than yourself.
Jeannie keep up the great work!! I love that you do this as a challenger first and coach second. Being a product of the product is so important and authentic. You don't do it because you sell it, you do it because you love it and you know how it impacts your challengers. Way. To. Go. Girl.
Just be a pineapple!
I love this saying, "Stand tall, wear a crown, be sweet on the inside" which is commonly referenced to pineapples :) Here are some other perks to pineapple too. We mostly use it in fruit salads, but I grew up with it in a Pineapple upside down cake. Any one have other yummy recipes for it?
Plan for the day
This is my plan for the day! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 Is anyone with me? Let's slay this day!
Portions by meal type
I thought this was a great example of the best way to eat. Seems like my favorite foods are usually served at dinner (steak and wine LOL), but we've started getting together with other couples instead for brunch lately. Our kids are happier and then we aren't so full at bedtime.
How do you keep from eating such a heavy dinner? Drinking a glass before meals is always smart too!
You are stronger than you think!
GEEZE. THAT. WAS. HARD. But Chris Downing said "try before you modify" and "you are stronger than you think" so 👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻 no modifications for 45 straight minutes.
This week is no carbs 😬😱 wish me luck 🙌🏻👏🏻🙋🏼
Jalapeno Turkey Burgers
It's time for grilling!!! Here are some tips on how to BBQ with friends without totally derailing your plans or feeling guilty afterwards. :/
#1 choice: homemade ground turkey burgers
#2 choice: homemade 90% lean ground beef
#3 choice: homemade anything
#4: pre-made burgers from the meat department
!! Avoid: pre-boxed burgers
JALAPEÑO TURKEY BURGERS (recipe makes 4 so double/triple as needed)
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground turkey
½-3/4 of a jalapeño pepper
1 medium size shallot, peeled and minced
zest and juice of one lime
2 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
guacamole
pico de gallo
poached egg (opt, but I love this on my burgers. could be fried too)
Directions can be found HERE.
Way to go Christine!
Who is this beautiful momma? Her name is Christine and she is one of my 21-day Fix challengers and I couldn't be more proud of her!!!
Her results go far past the 5.1 pounds she lost on the scale...her success is [physical, mental and in her energy and parenting! Her family is totally winning on this by Christine making herself a priority!
Our conversations weren't about cost or time...it was about succeeding. And that's very common because who wants to fail at anything, right?! She's a busy mom to the 2 beautiful girls and doesn't have time to try "one more thing!" I soooo relate to that 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
But she went all in. She believed in herself and tackled meal prep so she wouldn't fail when life throws curve balls (because it will). Look at the amazing meals she's eating on her new lifestyle (no dieting here) and her whole family is jumping in. One of her posts even talked about her daughter stole her peppers. Wouldn't it be nice to have that problem?
Your kids notice how you live. If you exercise. How you eat. How you parent and do marriage. Christine you inspire me and so many others in the group. I love your dedication to YOU!! That's where it starts and it trickles into the lives of others. Keep going strong, we are still in week 1 of 30 day challenge!!
25 ways coconut oil can help
I'm allergic to coconut, but I have found that it doesn't bother me topically. So this was cool to find and be able to use it a few different ways :) Any other ways you use it? Coconut is very trendy right now.
What I buy at Costco
I know Costco can be overwhelming, or suck you in (please tell me that happens to others too?). But there is a lot of value when buying in bulk and it's how we keep our food expenses pretty low. If you have a 2nd fridge in the garage, it's even better. We store all the duplicate items in there + beer :) Here are some of my personal favorites from Costco. At this point we get all our grains, proteins, veggies and dairy from there. I get some fruits there and some from HEB, along with my all time favorite pizza crust (pictured below). We freeze 1 of the 2 loaves and proteins as well.