Sinless cookies!!

Y'all I make these so often it's not even funny!  And guess who eats them first at every party I take them too??? THE GUYS!!!  I get lots of crap for the name "sinless cookies" and that they'd rather sin than eat healthy desserts, but every single time I leave with an empty plate and there are leftovers of the store bought or homemade cookies.  Try for yourself.  

tip - When my bananas start browning I peel them and cut them in half so that I have correct portions when I want to make a quick Shakeology smoothie, sinless cookies or banana bread. If your blender doesn't handle frozen fruit well then I'd slice them up as well before you freeze them so it has an easier time pureeing the banana. 

This is how you indulge, but you keep your gut in check. literally :) 

21 day fix containers: servings is 2 cookies = 1 yellow, 1/3 purple. 

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80 Shift Shop recipes that are to DIE FOR!!

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I was reviewing these tonight and seriously, my mouth was watering!  These sound amazing and there are desserts, snacks and meals all included, with container counts. You might wonder why I'm sharing all this info that requires a Beachbody on Demand membership, but it's because I know those that get the results are the ones that are all in... diet (clean eating), portion control (depends on the program...for 21 day fix I will get 2 carbs / day and Body Beast I will get 10!  and that changes throughout the program), exercise (streaming or DVDs) and Shakeology.  

If you skimp on any one of those, you're cheating yourself and not getting the most results out of your 21 day effort. Why waste your time?!?  You wouldn't brush your teeth with 1/2 the amount of toothpaste to save money and risk getting a cavity, so why would you drink 1/2 the serving of Shakeology to make it last longer?  First of all, you won't get the same nutrition out of it so you'll be lacking on some vitamins and you'll be hungry faster so there go your cravings, snacking and calories.  So I'm not worried with all these recipes that you won't need me.  YOU NEED ME and I NEED YOU :)   I do these programs too and your posts and encouragement is a two way street. 

So, who is going to help hold me accountable for round two of Shift Shop starting on Monday?  What you do in your house is your business till you make it out business.  These private groups in the My Challenger App are the secret sauce :) 

HERE are all 80 recipes, divided by week 1, 2, and 3. 

Day 1 recap - Shift Shop success!!

Well, I survived day one!!!  haha  I sure hope so, right?  If day one were that hard, I"d be in a heap of trouble for the test of the 21 days!  But seriously, it was a mental shift as much as it was an eating shift, but I'm already feeling changes.  

I notice I"m more tired, which wasn't what I expected.  Carbs usually make me tired, but they also can fuel you.  So that's a big change and I also have noticed how often I eat off my kids plate, finishing their food, or sample it as i'm cooking.  Man, I sound like a pig as I write this, but I know this is very common.  I used to say, "I wish I worked in an office so I couldn't be around food at home all day" but then my friends who work in the office say "I wish we didn't have vending machines and cafes downstairs and could make healthy choices from home all day" haha  The grass is always greener, right?  Well, that just goes to show that most of it is EXCUSES!  It won't be easy, it won't always be fun (I like to think at Beachbody we have a lot of fun though) but sometimes you might need to pass on gelato, that 3rd glass of wine, or extra helping of chocolates, but in the end it is worth it!!  

So, day 2 I woke up really excited about the choices I get to make. I don't HAVE to do anything, I GET to do it :)  Make the mental shift and the physical shift will be so much easier.  

The menu has more varieties than you see here, but I'm one that could eat the same thing every day if it were delicious and this is mighty delicious so to make my work super easy, I prepped ahead of time. I think tomorrow night is steak and ground turkey on the menu, but I have one serving of chicken and salmon left, so I'll modify. Flexibility is key!!  

Prep work - the vital behavior for success!!!

The saying goes, "If you fail to prep, you prep to fail" and t's so true. How many times did you come home from school pick up, a doctor's appointment, church, etc and you were starving so you opened the fridge and say NO GOOD OPTIONS???  Right?!? I can't be the only one that has done this.  You know what is quick and readily available.... PROCESSED FOODS!  They can sit in your pantry for 1-2 years and still be "good" or "fresh," if you will, and they satisfy hunger feelings perfectly...or so we think.  During those few seconds it is the prefect solution until our body crashes! Your glucose is off, you get tired, you might even get hungrier because of the salt or other additives in the food that tell your brain you are hungry rather than just bored sometimes.  Eating is an activity, so when you're bored, it naturally feels good and keeps you busy.  HELLO WEIGHT GAIN!  

This is where prep work comes in and it's not as hard as you might think!  This morning I printed my menu, my grocery list, and my other options (yes, we can substitute within that food group - carbs get a little tricky because there are "starchy" and "non-starchy" carbs) and went shopping, prepped fro 3 days and then went to work out. All that took 3 hours from shopping, to chopping, assembling and sweating and now I have 3 days that I don't have to cook a thing except for my kids.  They can eat what I'm planning, but decided to make more "fun foods" this week using the same ingredients.  When I have a salad (spinach, red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, chick peas, chicken, avocado) they will have chicken quesadillas, guacamole and carrots. I'm not on any "diet" in their eyes and one meal can serve us all.  

The best secret I have...I pretend I'm on TV. Try it, it works! 1) play some great music, 2) assemble all your ingredients, 3) pour a glass of wine (they might not do that on TV but they should - probably a liability with all the knives and fire - I'm not insured, "don't try this at home" lol) and 4) get 'er done!

So, ask yourself this, how hard is it really?  Not excuses, reasons...how hard is it?  Anything worth working for is usually hard.  Marriage, weight loss, exercise, even travel...what's on the other side can be amazing and fun, but sometimes it's still hard to get there!  But it's so beautiful when you follow through!  My next round of Shift Shop starts on Monday Aug 14th!  Don't miss out because 21 days from now, you'll be reading about all the success stories and you'll want to be featured, not reading about someone else :) 

Shift Shop prep work-3.jpg

3 breakfasts ready to go!  2 eggs, 1 cup spinach, 2 TBSP cheese each (looks better when it's shredded, but we don't have one yet, so sliced was only option).  BAM - I am ready for next 3 busy mornings and will not be late to school because of cooking.  Now to figure out how to simplify the shoes / socks issue in our house :))))))

Homemade trail mix

I don't know why this is fun to me, probably because I'm frugal and like to save money when it's easy or healthier. Not sure how much healthier it is, but I love checking out trail mix options at Target or local grocery stores and then buying the ingredients and making my own. Plus, it's fun with the kids and you can chose your own ratios (anyone else thinking what I am?? more chocolate chips please!!) I don't even like nuts, but the rest of my family does so this is an easy way to please the troops :) 

What would you put more / less of in yours?

This trail mix is Cashews, Macadamia nuts, dark chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and GoGo Berries. Delicious, beautiful, and pretty clean, but tasted way less salty than the store options. Let me know if you try it! I didn't measure, I just eyeballed it. As pictured, this is not 21-day fix approved because the portions and dried fruit, but you could alter this so it is

And then I reminded the kids not to dig through it for the chocolate chips. LOL.  Hopefully I'm not the only one that has to do this?!  

all things honey

Can one have too much honey? If so, I might qualify. I think I have an obsession and this is my first choice as a sweetener for our family.  Looked in the pantry today and had Texas creamed honey, New Zealand Manuka honey and Australian honey. 🙌🏻  I think I've covered my basis. 

The left I use for granola bars of recipes where I use more than ¼ cup honey.  Manuka I haven't opened yet because I heard it's like liquid gold. :)  I'm kind of worried my kids will just eat it with a spoon and that little jar was $58!!!  (for that price it should be making my meals for me, right?!?)  And the one on the right I use for PB, banana, honey sandwiches or toast with butter.  You don't need as much and it has amazing flavor. 

Where ever you live, try to buy local honey so it helps with allergies.  Buying honey made in Brazil when you are in Australia with the allergens of that area doesn't help you one bit :)  Even if it tastes good.  Might as well get the most bang for your buck. Especially when you're paying for Manuka!!

Chicken Zucchini Rolls

If you're looking for more Shift Shop recipes, here's one to add to your list.  Remember, if you're a Beachbody on Demand member, you get access to Fixate recipes and TV show for FREE and if you log into your account and go to recipes, you can chose your calorie levels, activity levels and goals and Beachbody will create a weekly menu for you for FREE.  This is a HUGE perk!  

Ingredients:
-3 cups skinless, cooked shredded chicken breast
-2 cups + 1/2 cup store-bought spaghetti or marinara sauce (make sure to read the ingredients and chose sauce that has no added sugar, oils other than olive oil or chemicals) In the US this is easier to find then in Australia :)
-3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8″ thick
-1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

For directions, click HERE. 

Pineapple Mango Shakeology

My boys saw this email from Beachbody today and requested I make this for breakfast. Boy have things changed since asking for fruit loops and chocolate chip pancakes.  I do love me some chocolate chip pancakes though and Beachbody even has a 21-day fix approved recipe for them so I can stay on track and still indulge. Nothing makes you feel like you're acing it more than fueling your kids with 70 superfoods and vitamins and heading off for a fun family day!  

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 scoop vegan or regular Vanilla Shakeology
¼ cup cubed fresh pineapple
¼ cup cubed mango
1 Tbsp. finely grated orange peel (orange zest)
1 cup ice

Directions:
1. Place water, Shakeology, pineapple, mango, orange peel, and ice in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.

Check out the diets HERE. 21 day containers: 1/2 purple, 1 red

Nailed it!!

I really feel like this is the breakfast of champions. When my kids ask for Daily Sunshine or Shakeology, I secretly do a "👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻 NAILED IT", inside 😂😂 
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What's your "I'm a rockstar mom" moment today??? We all have one because we are raising little men and women. 🙌🏻👏🏻👍🏻

If you want details on Daily Sunshine, let me know and I can order more and send you 5 to try.  It's 5 for $25 and free shipping. 

 

 

Back to school / work prepping secrets!

With summer in full swing, it’s time to start thing about getting ready for the kiddos to head back to school.  Wait. What? 

Whether you’re ready to send your kids back to class or not, inevitably, summer will wind down to a close and it’ll be time to get back into the autumn routine of school, sports, lessons, and so forth. These last few weeks of summer are actually a great time to review your current meal planning tactics. 

Busy families can benefit tremendously from advanced meal preparation. Planning meals and snacks, shopping, organizing – including washing and sorting produce into servings – and cooking several items for quick lunches or even getting a jump on dinners for the week will save you a ton of time, money, and hassle in the long run. It also guarantees that you’re staying on top of your dietary goals.

Are you ready to get “schooled” on meal prep? Here are a few suggestions to help you begin.

  • Stick to a weekly planning schedule. Later, you may find that you can plan two or more weeks at a time. However, to avoid feeling overwhelmed, especially if you haven’t had a meal planning system before, one week is a great starting point.
  • Once a week, sit down and write out what you’d like to have for each of the three main meals for the following seven days. Also, make a list of your family’s favorite snack items that are easy grab-and-go choices to quickly throw in lunch boxes or your bag when you’re on the go. 
  • Make a shopping list and hit the grocery store. Leave the kids at home whenever possible and grab yourself a latte! Ideally, this will be the same day you prep and cook your selections. Some meal prep veteran’s advocate for a once-per-week shopping/cooking day while others suggest separating it into two days. It really depends on what works best for your family and schedule. 
  • Buy items such as nuts and seeds, dried fruit, crackers, etc. in bulk whenever you can to save money and repackage them in reusable containers.
  • Once home, sort snacks and wash produce, dividing into containers. 
  • Cooked meat, grains, and vegetables are great to have on hand for quick lunches and can be a good start to evening meals. Separate lunch servings and store any other prepared items in accordance with your dinner meal plan. 

With a little planning and time spent shopping and preparing meals and snacks in advance each week, you’ll be ready to tackle the carpool, endless soccer practices, and math homework like the mom or dad boss you are!

Cioppino

I'm not sure what you favorite way to make Cioppino is, but there are so many variations.  As long as it has onion, garlic and chopped tomatoes, you have the base covered the important part.  A side of garlic break is a nice compliment, esp with my kids!  They finished 1/2 a loaf before my husband and I could sit down. haha  I like to buy the Italian seasoned chopped tomatoes and they are the same price and still clean.  Always read the back of the labels because the front of them are MARKETING!  The back is truth and the important stuff :) 

This Cioppino was a mix of Salmon, Barramundi, shrimp, mussels, and calamari.  We also added red peppers, although I think orange would have been more colorful.  Red peppers are supposed to be the most beneficial for you though.  

I find it odd that they sell this "mix" in Australia, but no one has heard of it at the grocery store. I wonder what they do with it here?  

Cooking light has some good variations of Cioppinos. Please share your favorites below. 

Tip - this is both 21 day fix and Shift Shop approved.  

Indoor picnic lunch

Not only is this the most handsome 4 year old ever, but this was the best indoor picnic lunch too. ❤️❤️❤️ He and I took a break unpacking boxes and since our rental dining table couldn't be delivered without a crane, the floor and coffee table worked just fine :) 

My lunch was called "kitchen sink omelette" because I combined what was going to go bad in the fridge. It turned out delicious!  

Sun-dried tomato feta (from local farmers market), spinach, ham, 2 eggs, white cheddar cheese with a side of grapes.  this would be great with avocados too, but I used up all my blue containers for the day with this one meal.  What can I say - the feta was delicious :) 

21 day fix containers: 1 purple, 1 green, 1.5 red, 1 blue

Fro-yo Berry Bites

These are delicious and will have you thinking twice about ever reaching for cheesecake again!  Since I'm lactose intolerant, this is an awesome swticheroo for me and lets me still indulge without paying for it later. 

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup crushed almonds or almond meal
2 tablespoons coconut sugar, (more for a sweeter FroYo Bite)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups fresh chopped strawberries and/or raspberries
6-cup muffin tin and liners

Directions can be found HERE.

Matcha - it's the new trend!

Does this mean this donut is healthy if it has Matcha in it?? 😂😂🍩🍩

For Ty's first day of school, I was trying to find something "special" and out of the ordinary for the boys and this is what Tyler asked for.  Can you believe these donuts are $8 EACH!!?! That's almost 8 donuts at Krispy Kreme which runs deep with me :)  Come on, I grew up in NC where they were founded and it's in my blood.  I think. Ha. 

On a serious note, Matcha is very popular now.  If you live near Trader Joes, they have it as an ingredient in lots of their items.  I've seen it in salad dressing, desserts, tea, syrups, etc.  It does have caffeine in it, but very small amounts and it's all natural from green tea leaves.  Shakeology added this ingredient back in March and did not increase their prices - YAY!  As of April, all bags are updated.

My first 5K with Tyler

This melts my heart! I'm catching up on life since it's been a "little" crazy since May and found this photo of Tyler and I doing the Wilchester Run for the Arts 5k together.  

Melts my heart that he was holding my hand! Love this boy and so thankful he would do this with me. This morning he was jumping around the kitchen with me doing Shift Shop and said "mommy, this is really fun!" ha! I was thinking more "hard" than "fun" but whatever :) 

Be the example in whatever you do!!  No ones perfect, but we can try our best. 

My famous granola bars recipe!

I literally make this recipe AT LEAST twice a week, never fail!  We've even made them on vacation.  It is super easy and kind of makes you feel like a rockstar because through the week you have quick breakfasts, healthy snacks on-the-go, substantial food for new moms or those that are sick.  I mean, it's a cure all and your kids can be a part of making this.  

Another huge perk to these...they are so impressive at mom's nights out!!  See bottom right pic :)  I make these into balls instead of bars and then roll in chocolate.  if you're rushed on time you can buy melting chips (come in white chocolate or milk chocolate) and just microwave and roll balls in it and then put in fridge to harden.  TIP - store these on a baking sheet so they don't harden together.  I learned this the hard way.  :(  

Otherwise, I melt chocolate chips with a little bit of cream and sugar and roll the balls in that so then I can chose semi-sweet or dark chocolate which I prefer.  

Recipe: 
-5 1/2 cups quick oats (this is import! do not use old fashioned oats unless you have to and then cut to 5 cups and put in food processor first.  they are too large to stick together and soak up too much of the honey so they dry out)
-1 cup honey (doesn't have to be fancy and I actually would go for cheapest.  always best to chose local honey to help with allergies)
-1 1/2 cups nut butter (I prefer peanut butter, but you can chose any just make sure it's clean. and "natural" does not mean clean!! no added oil OR sugar, just nuts and maybe salt if you chose)
-1/2 cup chocolate chips (mini semi-sweet or dark chocolate, regular size choc chips are too big to stick together), OR coconut, OR craisans.  If you add 2 or more of these toppings, drop the oats 1/2 cup so they aren't too dry.

Mix well.  Doesn't require a fancy mixer, but your wrist might get sore.  Ha!  Pour into a 9"x13" pan if making granola bars.  Smooth it out with wax paper and press down.  Put in fridge for an hour and cut with a knife or brownie slicer (I liked them to be even in size so I use this).  Wrap in aluminum foil and separate layers with wax paper so they don't stick together.  

Granola straight from the freezer tastes like cookie dough. You've been warned :) It's hard to just have one bite.

Servings: 20 bars.  freezes for 2 months or can go in the fridge, but don't leave out because it will get too sticky. I like to freeze them so that when I have them for a snack or lunch later they are perfectly soft.  FYI - straight out of the freezer they taste like cookie dough...just sayin' :)

21 day containers:  1 bar = 2 yellows, 2 tsp.  if you roll into heaping TBSP balls then each ball = 1 yellow, 1 tsp.

Chicken and Avocado Salad with Lime and Cilantro

Sour cream and mayonnaise are overused in my opinion.  I can substitute plain greek yogurt and my family doesn't notice unless they catch me in the act. :)  Try it at your house and see. It's an easy way to keep the dish "clean" and cut the calories.  Who wants all those chemicals in their body anyways and makes it pointless to have a "healthy salad" all ladened with processed stuff, right?  Humor me and try this...

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded into large pieces
2 medium avocados, diced
2 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice (you'll divide this later)
salt, to taste
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (or chop it more coarsely if you prefer)
2 TBSP plain greek yogurt *this keeps it 21-Day Fix, 80 Day Obsession & Shift Shop compliant

Instructions can be found HERE.

Daily Sunshine is here!!!

Samples of Daily Sunshine are finally IN! This is the new shake for kids! It's a 3-in-1 cup-o-yumminess 🙌🏻👅

What does it contain??
#1. Fruits and vegetables
#2. Organic pea protein
#3. Healthy fats

It covers the building blocks of nutrition that kids need every day- whole-food based carbs from veggies and fruit, protein, and healthy fats!

TWO FLAVORS which are both GF, soy free, casein free, and dairy free: Chocolate and Strawberry-Banana! Let me know which you'd like!  Side effects may be feeling awesome and like you're winning this parenting thing for the day!!