Food and a cold

I've had to take the past 2 days off of my workout routine because I caught a cold. Boo!!!!! So not loving this. The good news is that if I rest for the next few days I should hopefully be back on Monday to start my next 21 day challenge! Wohoo! I'm totally going to focus on 4-5 days of Hammer and Chisel and then 2 days of Piyo. Good to mix it up a bit I think.

So my dear friend, Cherry asked me yesterday to give her some tips and easy recipes she could do to focus on her meal prep and nutrition. I've jotted down a few recipes that I've tried and liked. The prep usually takes me no more than about an hour. This will be to prep for about 4-5 days of lunches and dinners. It's really not that bad, considering I don't have to think about preparing food for myself for 4 days! It's honestly a treat to just pop it out of the fridge or lunch bag and be ready to eat with no hassle. Something a busy mama of 4 loves! Here are a few lunch and dinner options:

LUNCH OPTIONS:

1. Lettuce wraps with chicken, avocado, and feta cheese

(just use grilled chicken. Stuff a leaf of lettuce with any healthy veggies and grilled chicken) You can also sprinkle some homemade greek yogurt dressing

Greek Yogurt dressing:  1 1/3 cups of plain nonfat greek yogurt, 1 pack of hidden valley dill dressing mix, 3 TBSP.  of coconut milk or plain almond milk

2. Spaghetti Squash with olive oil,  sauteed mushrooms,  and lean ground turkey

3. Thai ground turkey stir fry http://frame.bloglovin.com/?post=3585074961&group=0&frame_type=a&context=&context_ids=&feed_order=&blog=1130542&frame=1&click=0&user=0

4. Buffalo chicken bowls (can be eaten as is or on top of lettuce or spinach as a salad) Godes with Greek Yogurt Dressing recipe

Buffalo Chicken Bowl

Buffalo Chicken Bowl Yields 6-8 servings 21 Day Fix approved: 2 Yellow, 1.5 Red, 1 Blue, 1/2 Green Ingredients : 2 (15-oz.) cans orga...

DINNER OPTIONS: (serve with any kind of veggie on the side or sweet potatoes)

1. Baked Salmon flavored with lemon, salt, and pepper

2. Creamy Paleo chicken skillet Creamy Paleo Chicken Skillet | Paleo Grubs

Creamy Paleo Chicken Skillet | Paleo Grubs Instant recipe favorites are created when I cannot stop sampling a dish even while I am cooking it. So it was fo...

3.Grilled Chicken with veggies

4. Extra firm tofu with ground turkey and veggie stir fry

5. Blackened tilapia or Cod, or Mahi Mahi with cucmber avocado salsa Blackened Tilapia with Cucumber Avocado Salsa [21 Day Fix]

Blackened Tilapia with Cucumber Avocado Salsa [21 Day Fix] WHEW this has been a crazy several days! I have been trying to find a spare minute to cook, photograph, and post...

6. Chicken fajitas without the tortillas or served with brown rice

Easy Chicken Fajitas - Spend With Pennies

Easy Chicken Fajitas - Spend With Pennies These Easy Chicken Fajitas are the perfect way to get a delicious and healthy meal on the table in minutes! A ve...

My absoulte fave right now is the buffalo chicken bowls and the cucmber avocado salsa topping for really any kind of fish! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! 

Okie dokes. Now that I'm officially hungry, I'm going to go pop out a lunch meal from the fridge! Happy Friday! Here's to hoping my cold goes bye bye asap! :)

Hammer and Chisel

Today I decided that I needed to up my game! I have been maintaining my results, but what I really want is some visible definition in my mid tummy area. So, I decided to give the Masters Hammer and Chisel workout a try today. All I can say after my 1st workout this morning is....Oh my WOW! I did the Plyo workout and their 10 minute ab workout. Just WOW! I was sweating like a little piggie realizing it was going to become bacon!

 It was a great workout! Tough but great! I had to stop a few times and modify, but I really enjoyed it! I felt like I pushed myself to the next level. I'm excited to see the results after doing this for a few weeks. I took a before pic, but I won't post it until after week 3 to see some difference (hopefully!)

Here's what the program looks like:

I am on a mission here folks. Now, I'm not really doing this because I plan on flaunting my abs around town (modesty).... BUT I really want to prove to myself that I can do this! A mommy of 4 with a stretched out tummy can actually see definition! Here's to crossing my fingers and hitting it hard and eating clean!

Happy Friday ya'all! ;)

Mommy's Manic Monday Morning!

This morning I set my alarm at 5:30am to wake up, which I did, and I got out of bed slowly so as not to wake the baby. I got this I thought to myself! I changed into my workout clothes, pressed play on my piyo video and did the 5 minute workout. This was going great, despite the fact I was feeling tired from the weekends festivities. Then......... just as I was getting ready to really start my workout....BAM! The baby woke up! Waaaaaaahhhhhh!!!! (That's me crying...not the baby!)
So, there went my early morning workout. Luckily, after feeding the baby I took him to the living room and sat him on his play mat with his toys while I did an alternate workout from Popsugar. It was shorter but at least I got something in along with an extra 10 minute ab workout. Not quite what I was intending for today, but I'm happy I squeezed it in. I'll probably do another ab workout tonight just to get a bit more in since I'm trying to hit it a bit harder this week. It's already May and I need to see me some abs by June! I'm giving myself 4 weeks friends to see me some decent definition! It's doable right!!?? I hope! Haahaa!

Here's my photo proof I submitted on my 5 day facebook challenge group today:

My goal is to up my weights from these 8 pounders, but this morning, that's what was readily available!

So, meal prep this week consists of buffalo chicken bowls/salad (requested by hubby) and spaghetti squash with pesto, chicken, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers. The spaghetti squash doesn't look that great, but honestly it really tastes yummy!!

spaghetti squash

I'm still drinking my shakeology in the morning after my workouts along with greek yogurt and blueberries for my morning snack. In the afternoon I'll also still have my OatFit Oatmeal, with blueberries, apples, cinnamon, and maple extract. So yum! 

Happy healthy eating this week! And hopefully my little one will be more cooperative throughout the week so this Mama can get in my workouts! No excuses though right!!?? I WILL get it done no matter what! 

Happy Monday!!!! :) 

Weekend Cheat Days and Arm Veins!!!

This past weekend was very eventful! We have been doing some mini celebrations for my hubby's 40th birthday on Saturday and Sunday. Although it was a lot of fun it also meant having 2 cheat days. I'm usually pretty good when I go out to eat, keeping in mind that it's ok to treat myself and order responsibly. I had a bbq chicken salad at Wood Ranch BBQ on Saturday with the most tasty roll ever! Today I also indulged in some ribs and a slice of delicious chocolate birthday cake. *sigh..so good, but I actually didn't feel so great afterwards. I think my body has become accustomed to healthier eating habits that when I put heavy foods in my belly, it just makes me feel heavy and bloated. Not fun. Crazy how your body just knows what it needs to fuel itself!
Here's a pic of the hubby and me at Wood Ranch:

Tomorrow I'm beginning another challenge. It's only a 5 day challenge, but I'm excited! This one will lead into another 21 day challenge, which I will gladly accept. It just makes working out way more fun! Kind of feels like I'm meeting up with friends at the gym! Also excited because 2 of my friends are joining the challenge too! I am hoping this means positive steps forward for them in the working out/getting healthier process! Wohoo! Small steps lead to giant leaps forward right!!??

Okie dokes, on a side note... my hubby has been noticing that my veins have starting to really pop out lately. I don't know if that's because I lost so much weight or because of working out with weights. Hmmmm... It's kinda scary looking. Haahaaaa.... I'll just take it as a sign I'm building muscle!
Here's a pic:

Ahhh!!!!

Okie dokes, I'm going to go spend some time with the hubby catching up on some shows, but I am ready to start up again tomorrow and hit it hard this week. Here's my 5 day schedule! 

Aunt Flow and more recipes!

I know that title totally doesn't go together! Haaaahaaha!

This past week has been pretty tough for me. The week before I get my monthly visit from Aunt Flow I always get SO incredibly tired. It's the kind of tired like how you feel in the 1st trimester of pregnancy. Not fun! Also, I notice that I seem to crave more sweet things during this time and resisting the temptation of sweets seems just a bit harder than usual. Sigh. 

This morning I was fully intending to wake up at 5:30am to workout, but alas...it didn't work out! ;) Lol. Deacon, my 8 month old came down with a little cold so we was waking up CONSTANTLY through the night. I just couldn't do it. This mommy needed to squeeze in any amount of sleep I could before the day got started (which really wasn't a lot at all...maybe 3 hours?) Not sure. It's all a blur.

I'm going to workout tonight when my hubby gets home and the kiddos are all over the place. Crazy chaotic time to workout, but it's what I have to work with today. My body needs to workout. I think I actually start to feel sluggish now when I don't have that boost of energy from my morning workouts. Crazy how your body just knows know what it needs to make it run properly.

Ok...enough rambling. I wanted to talk about my go to healthy recipe I make all the time that is so super healthy and lean.... Ready..... Salmon!!!

The simplest way I make it is just with large size fillets that I sprinkle with salt and pepper and little lemon pepper seasoning. Mrs. Dash makes a good one with no sodium! Then I put it in the broiler for about 15 minutes or until it looks done. (make sure to constantly check it while in the broiler.)
I'll usually serve it with a side of some veggies or sweet potatoes.

There you have it! Aunt Flow and the easiest recipe EVER! Haahaa....

Alright. I don't know if anyone is even reading this anymore. Hope you can relate to some struggles I have or love easy peasy delicious healthy recipes like I do.

Have an awesome Friday! :) 

Food!!!

Let's talk food! Yum!  Who doesn't love delicious food!? I think people automatically assume that if you are dieting or trying to eat healthy it has to be bland and boring. SO not the case! I've been finding some really amazing meal prep recipes on pinterest. Most of the ones I look for are approved for the 21 Day Fix if you are doing that. I will usually meal prep lunch and dinner meals for about 5 days. It really isn't that time consuming (probably about 1 hour prep time). Then you have 2 different meals for lunch and dinner for the next 5 days and you don't have to worry about it at all! I don't have any fancy containers. I just use partitioned rubbermaid containers from the grocery store.

Here are the containers I use:

These are perfect for just popping and warming up real quick which is awesome when you have little to no time like me! :) They are also great for on the go eating too! 

Today's meal prep consisted of lunch: Buffalo Chicken Bowls 

http://www.kelseytorr.com/buffalo-chicken-bowl.html

These are so tasty and the secret is using nonfat plain greek yogurt. The only modifications I used with this recipe is that I didn't put the chicken in the crockpot. I just seasoned and cooked them on the stove and then diced them into really small pieces. Also, for the veggie mixture I added a splash of lime juice and a tiny bit of salt and pepper. 

I give this recipe a 2 thumbs up! After chilling it in the fridge it's so perfect on a hot day like today! I ate it while driving to pick up the kiddos from school. Perfect for on the go! 

For dinner, I'm on my last container of tilapia with avocado cucumber salsa.) That is also a phenomenal recipe! The hubby loved it too and I can totally see using this salsa on top of other types of fish. Here's a pic and the recipe for that. 

http://www.thegarlicdiaries.com/blackened-tilapia-with-cucumber-avocado-salsa-21-day-fix/

Happy Healthy Eating!! :) 

Not feelin' it!

This morning I woke up a bit later than usual and I was just not feelin' it. I dragged myself out of bed though and pressed play for my Piyo workout video.  Once I got started though, I just wasn't pumped like I usually am. Then, 10 minutes into the workout Deacon (my 8 month old) started crying. So, off I went to nurse him and when he fell asleep I thought I'd give it a go again. Except......he woke up again! Lol! Oh, the life of a mommy I tell ya. Sometimes it works out sometimes it just doesn't! At that point I really wasn't feeling it anymore, so I decided to just get the kiddos ready for school and do all the morning tasks. Even though I really didn't want to workout at this point I mustered up the strength to get through 2 popsugar workouts. I was sweating by the end and really glad I didn't give up today!

We are all going to have these days, but I find it's on these days especially where we REALLY need to push ourselves and remember what our goals are. DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE!!!

Here are the 2 videos that I used today. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAQK22crBWc


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3320EhbImLY

Workouts

Tonight I decided to post what kinds of workouts I've been doing for the past few weeks. When I started the 21 day challenge I began the Piyo Workout with Charlene Johnson. It's a cross between Yoga and Pilates, but with continuous movement. I am not a fan of either yoga or pilates, because it's just to slow paced for me, but I've really been enjoying the Piyo workouts and they really workout your whole body.  The workout can be viewed on Beachbody OnDemand or through purchasing on the Beach Body website. Here's what it looks like:

There is a daily schedule to follow with the program, so I'll usually do what is directed, but afterwards i'll do 1-2 mini workouts afterwards that last about 6-10 minutes. During these workouts I'll focus on specific areas such as: abs, thighs, or weight training. For these mini workouts I'll use Blogilates and Popsugar workouts. 

http://www.blogilates.com/

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness

You can access both through YouTube. They have tons of fitness videos for free, which is awesome. My favorites from blogilates are her 6 minute abs, thighs, and booty workouts. For Popsugar I use a lot of their weight training videos.

There are a lot of great fitness videos out there for free on YouTube. It's such a great resource! Sometimes I also use these mini workout videos at the end of the day when I feel like I haven't made the best eating choices. It's just a quick way to burn off some of that nasty goo that accumulates throughout the day, especially when you're running around and not able to chose the most healthy meals.  (Quick tip: For some kids parties and outings I have packed my own meal prep containers in a lunch baggie and I take it with me. That way I can eat healthy and know I'm not stuffing down pizza or greasy foods. It's also a way to not feel so guilty when I decide to have a bite of cake).

Hope this helps! Happy Monday night!!! <3

21 day challenge results

Here's a quick check in after my 21 day challenge. A little more definition but still a ways to go. 

My daily health schedule

Today I'm going to post my daily routine, just to give you a snap shot of how my day goes and how I incorporate my meals into my everyday craziness. Now something that is crucial here. is DRIVE!!! Now I don't mean getting in your car and driving around. I mean you have to WANT this. You have to be DETERMINED to see it through and push yourself even and most especially on days you feel too tired or just plain lazy. You have to want and truly desire this change and be determined enough.  Otherwise, there's a million reasons why we don't have the time. I was totally in that mindset before. So here's some motivation before I go into my daily schedule!

Ok..are you pumped to do this!!?? Haahaa. I hope so! You CAN CAN CAN do it! Trust me! 

Here's a day in the life of me:

5:30a.m.- wake up and workout! (this time changes depending on what's going on that day. I try to keep it at this time but LIFE happens and babies wake up. Lol. So I will alter it if necessary, but I DON't make an excuse to skip it entirely!) 

6:30a.m.- Shower and start prepping kiddos lunches and breakfast before school

6:50am- wake kiddos up

7:00 am- Make my Shakeology and cup of decaf coffee (can't give that up!) I do use natural bliss creamer though, which is much healthier than that other one filled with stuff you can't pronounce!)

Fast forward to 10:30a.m.- Snack of 80 calorie Greek Yogurt with fresh berries on top. YUM! Also I'll snack on raw almonds too.

12noon ish- Lunch (one of my meal prep containers)

3:00p.m.- a cup of coffee iced or hot 

3:30p.m.- Oatmeal

(WHAT!) I know what you're thinking. Crazy to have it as a snack in the afternoon. BUT! By that time I have a serious sweet tooth craving and this totally fills it right up! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Oat fit oatmeal with a small bit of chia seeds, splash or maple extract, blueberries, apples, and unsweetened almond milk. It's SO SO good! Totally crushes that sweet tooth craving and I feel energized afterwards.

6:00p.m.- Dinner (another meal prep container)
I'll also have about a cup of vanilla almond milk for dessert to satisfy that need for dessert. :)

Now, throughout the day it's SOOOOOOOOOO necessary to drink plenty of WATER!! This is a must! Yes, you will pee like never before... BUT! It's a vital for a healthy body and keeps you in check if you're really hungry or not.

Okie dokes. That's a quick snapshot. See, this is TOTALLY doable. Remember too, the idea is NOT to starve yourself. You'll only retain more fat that way. It's to constantly nourish yourself with healthy whole foods that your body know what to do with! So try to figure out a routine that works best for your and a meal plan and remember. YOU are so worth taking care of!!!! The Lord blessed you with your life and our body. It's up to us to take care of it!

Pancakes!!!

So so happy to share this! One of my most favorite breakfasts foods ever are pancakes!! I just LOVE them! I mean nothing says weekend more than a stack of hot pancakes dripping with ooey gooey syrup! The only problem with this favorite breakfast food of mine is that once I started having kiddos those stacks of pancakes and syrup started accumulating in my booty and belly! Lol.

So, since going on this fitness adventure I was determined to find a pancake mix that was healthy, packed with protein, and something that didn't make me feel totally guilty for indulging on weekend mornings such as today. :) 

Drum roll please.........

This is the white chocolate flavor and it's so yummy! I pair it with organic agave syrup (Costco) and it's just scrumptious! I can even imagine this with some fresh fruit on top as well! I got this little tin of goodness from Vitamin Shoppe, but I think they also sell it on Amazon as well, along with the other flavors. 

So what does that mean for us!!!??? Go and enjoy yourself some yummy in the tummy pancakes!!! Wohoo!!! ;) Happy Sunday!

Shakeology!

So about a month 1.5 months ago I started drinking this amazing super power drink called..."Shakeology!" I learned about it through my friend who invited me on the 21 day challenge recently and who is also a Beach Body coach, Cindy Beggs.  She was raving about how it's been a game changer for her and totally gives you a boost of energy throughout your day and helps you to take in all these amazing nutrients for your body. Well, after thinking about it long and hard (because it aint cheap!) I decided to give it a try. Afterall, if there is anything this tired mommy could use is a boost of energy and a drink that makes sure I take in all these superfoods! So, for the past month and a half I've been drinking this magic elixir...and....I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Now it's hard not to imagine my mornings without it!

I usually will drink it right after my workout in the morning. It's so awesome and I even got the hubbster to start drinking it too! I know the price tag is a bit hefty, but right now my focus really is on self improvement from the inside out, so at least for now I'm going to continuously incorporate this into my diet. If you're interested in purchasing it or trying it out here's the link to my friends beach body site. www.beachbodycoach.com/cindybeggs

Ok, enough praising the liquid gold...but trust me...I love it and it tastes so great! My fave is caffe latte. I'll drink it with a 1.5 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 4 ice cubes, a splash of vanilla extract, and a scoop of shakeology. Yum Yum in the tum. Feels like a healthy frapuccino! For real!! :)

The Road to Fitness

Today I made a decision to document my fitness journey! I have NEVER done something like this before. I mean sure, I've had a blog where I've shared daily happenings and adventures going on in my life. However, that fizzled out and it was just so much easier to do quick posts on Facebook instead of writing it all down. This time though, I've made a life decision. To change my health and body from the inside out. I thought that in itself deserved it's own blog! Lol. (I need to express my ups and downs and document this whole process.) 

Ok...so, here's my "Road to Fitness" story.  (A bit nervous about posting some of these pics. Lol) ...When I was a kid I never really had to worry about my weight, until my Dad passed away when I was 10. I fluctuated up and down throughout high school and always had such low self-confidence. When I got to college I decided that I wanted to get healthy and I totally changed the way I ate, which in turn helped me to go down 4 sizes. I stayed this way for a while and then got married to my wonderful husband and 9 months later we had our 1st son. Losing weight after baby #1 was easy peasy. I did some p90x and breast fed and the weight just fell off. Then I had baby #2 three years later and I noticed my body changing. It was a little harder to lose the weight, but eventually I did and afterwards I stopped working out and just watched what I ate. Then 4 years ago I had baby boy #3 I noticed that with each baby I seemed to be going up a pant size. After baby #3 I became somewhat indifferent to working out. I was too consumed with motherhood and teaching that I felt like I had little to no time to take care of myself. Life was just too busy. I also had a really challenging teaching year after having my third baby, which really took a toll on my physical and mental health. I was NOT a happy teacher, wifey, and mommy. My PMS would go through the roof and I would just break down in tears for no good reason other than feeling completely overwhelmed with life. That led me to deciding that I needed to just STOP and breathe and take a break from working for a bit. I feel so blessed that I have been able to take these past 2 years off and just focus on improving myself inside and out! 

Last year we were blessed with the news that we were expecting baby boy #4!! I told myself that I would have a fit pregnancy, but then cravings for chili cheese fries kicked in and I was so exhausted from running after my other 3 boys. I gained 45 lbs. with my last pregnancy and by the end I just felt so yucky! As soon as I was cleared to exercise I started working out every day and meal prepping. It was HARD and there were MANY times I wanted to just throw in the towel. Thanks to my hubby’s motivation and encouragement I pushed through and ended up losing the 45 lbs. I had gained! Now this road to losing the 45 lbs. was NOT easy! I started working out 2 months after the baby was born (October). My goal here was ONLY to lose the weight and that's really all I cared about. I just wanted to fit into my darn pants and not feel like a giant mushroom shaped mommy. I went up and down on the scale and I got discouraged constantly. I needed constant pep talks from my hubby to keep me going. Sometimes I think he got annoyed by my whinning that things were happening SO slowly. But honestly, if it wasn't for his continuous encouragement I probably would have given up. 

Now he also told me that losing weight was really 80% what you eat and 20% exercise!! WHAT!!!!!! I was busting my booty and that only accounts for 20%! NO FAIR! So after pouting about that I went onto pinterest and found all these awesome healthy meal prep idease. I realized that if I was really going to get somewhere faster I totally needed a food makeover! THIS really really expedited my weight loss! I also started to vary my workouts instead of doing the same old p90x video over and over to the point that I could put it on mute and my 4 year old could tell you what was coming up next! Haahaaa..

A few weeks ago I also joined a 21 day challenge group and the main reason I joined was because I had plateaued. I really feel so blessed to have been a part of this group. They  motivated me to push myself even harder! I’m seeing improvements and some more definition. I lost another 5 lbs! 
More importantly though than losing all that weight, is how I feel inside! I feel SO great now and I have gotten to the point where if I don't work out my body seems to be like, "Hey you! Get your booty into you workout clothes and BRING IT!" 

So, in a long nutshell that is my ROAD to today. A mommy of 4 who is constantly on the move with my kiddos but learning to prioritize my own health and take care of myself. Something I NEVER really felt I had time for. I feel like I have reclaimed my old self! Yipee!!! 

Here's a before and after collage of my progress. We're still working on it daily, but I think I've come so far! To all of you who feel like it's impossible...it's NOT! You are SO worth taking care of!!! <3