Today is 2 days post Ultimate reset and I am soooo bloated. I have had chick fila breakfast biscuits two days in a row. UGH!!! I am looking forward to going back to clean eating and finding a bit of balance. I am very pleased with my results from the reset. I lost 15.2lbs and 3.5 inches off of my waist. For some reason I don't really focus on any of the other measurements when it comes to stats for myself other than that of the my waist. I guess that is because it has truly been the bane of my existence for years. I did hope to lose a bit more from my waist but I think my uterine fibroids are going to make it all the more difficult to shrink my waist. So that is yet another road block I have to face. I am really upset about these fibroids and cysts, but I know God will tell me what to do and how to do it. Anyways, I am mid program this week and feeling blah so I am very much looking forward to starting Hammer and Chisel Monday for 60 bloody days (in my English voice..lol) and I think I have decided to do Turbo Fire by Chalene Johnson after that for 90 days which will take me to July. WOW WEE am I excited about the changes ahead for me: mind, body and spirit. I also am entertaining the idea of becoming a certified beachbody instructor and trainer. Now for which program I have not yet decided. But since I am going to be getting certified as a personal trainer at the end of this semester, how amazing would it be to design my own fitness and nutrition program and put it out through beachbody.... Woah!!! Why the hell not right?....DREAM BIG or GO HOME!!! RIGHT!?!?!?

I wanted to talk about having familial support when your on a journey of changing your life and getting healthy. It can be hard to get people on board with your plans. When I started the Ultimate Reset my husband and 15 year old daughter agreed to be supportive by not bringing food in the house that would tempt me and that they would try to eat most of the meals I was preparing. So a week ago when they went out for mexican and put the leftovers in the fridge I didn't say much as they kept them in the bag so I couln't see it. But yesterday when I'm feeling like this last week will never be over and temptations have been everywhere and so hard for me, my husband makes baked ziti for his and Mikaylas's dinner. HOW COULD HE!!! I was so annoyed at first and then I felt a little like crying. Why would he do that to me. I literally had to take a moment and go into my bedroom to get my composure and gather my thoughts. I told him that what he did was not being supportive. It was insensitive. At such a fragile time in this journey the last place I should have to face temptation is in the confines of my own home. What if I was feeling weak that day and gave in? I would have thrown all of this hard work out of the window....Well not exactly,  but I would have felt that way and probably allowed the "What the hell affect"  to set in and take control of me for the rest of the week. While in my room I had to acknowledge that yes I felt like crying because of the situation and that I wanted to give in so badly. But then I thought about how far I had come and that I only had a week left. I can have baked ziti on day 22. But I did proceed to tell him how that made me feel and why it upset me so much. I had to compare it to when he is abstaining from beer for a set amount of time and asked how would he feel if I brought a six pack into the house while he was in the middle of that. For some reason the analogy helped him get the picture. So I say all of that to say, we may not always have the support of our families. Some people feel like why should they have to change their lives just because you are. Even with me giving my husband suggestions like: if you want to eat that go out to a restaurant without me to have it, or wait until I'm not home. Anything but bringing it into the house and putting it in my line of site. He still did what he wanted on those two occasions. So it will be hard sometimes we are going to have to remind ourselves why we are doing this and how we would feel if we failed. There will be failure, there are no success stories that do not include failure. But learning from them every time I failed has helped me so much. I know how I will feel if I give in. I can remember how bad I felt about myself and the tears that were shed because I had failed yet again. I can vividly remember and connect to that feeling and I know I don't want to feel like that. I knew I needed an additional support system that was outside of my home when my loved ones weren't helpful.  I know that I have to be speak up for myself when my family aren't being supportive and help them understand. Tell them what I need and expect from them, it's not 100% but they give a better effort than when I used to internalize these things instead of expressing them. So I did this program with a couple of other coaches so we could support each other. As I continue on this journey I learn more and more about myself and I know I can do this and SO CAN YOU!!!! If you need any help or support simply reach out to me.... that's what I am here for.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium cucumber, partially peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 Tbsp. chopped red onion
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves
• Himalayan salt (to taste; optional)
• Herbal seasoning blend (to taste; optional)

Directions

1. Combine red wine and balsamic vinegars, lemon juice, and oil in a small bowl; mix well. Set aside.
2. Combine cucumber, tomatoes, onion, parsley, basil, salt (if desired), and seasoning blend (if desired) in a large bowl; mix well.
3. Drizzle dressing over cucumber mixture; toss gently to blend.

Nutrition

• Calories: 142
• Total Fat: 10 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 586 mg
• Carbohydrate: 13 g
• Fiber: 4 g
• Sugar: 8 g
• Protein: 3 g

It is day 15 of the Ultimate reset for me and I feel great. I don't feel bloated, my head is clear and I am learning so many great recipes that I want to incorporate into my daily life. They are so healthy and delicious. My family has been enjoying most of them as well here is one of my fav salads so far. I also recommend topping it with a shredded chicken breast and La Choy rice noodles for a simple incredible lunch.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1½ tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger root
• 2 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos
• ½ head Napa cabbage, shredded (4 cups)
• ½ medium carrot, shredded
• ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Himalayan salt (to taste; optional)

Directions

1. Combine vinegar, lime juice, oil, ginger, and Bragg Liquid Aminos in a small bowl; mix well.
2. Combine cabbage, carrot, red and green onions, cilantro, and salt (if desired) in a large bowl; mix well.
3. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to blend.
4. Let salad marinate, covered, in refrigerator for 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

• Calories: 383
• Total Fat: 29 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 2,034 mg
• Carbohydrate: 27 g
• Fiber: 6 g
• Sugar: 15 g
• Protein: 8 g

Clean Creamy Garlic Dressing


I absolutely love this dressing and the raw honey gives it a hint of sweetness. I did not realize until after I made it that I used balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider...lol  That is why mine is a little darker than yours will be. But it was still just as yummy as with the right vinegar ;)

Ingredients

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. Himalayan salt
• ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. raw honey (or pure maple syrup)

Directions

1. Place oil, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, salt, mustard, and honey in a blender or food processor; cover with lid. Blend until smooth.
2. Refrigerate dressing if not using immediately. If dressing solidifies when cold, hold at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir before serving.

Nutrition

• Calories: 119
• Total Fat: 11 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 235 mg
• Carbohydrate: 6 g
• Fiber: 0 g
• Sugar: 5 g
• Protein: 0 g

I am super excited about our new shakeology flavor. When I did the 3 day refresh I stopped drinking coffee. I found that I no longer needed it for energy. Besides coffee is super acidic and I knew I didn't want it in my diet on a regular basis. So thanks to the 3 day refresh I gave it up. But I loved the taste of a good latte. So when I saw our new flavor café latte I was so happy for it's launch. I cannot wait for it to arrive. I do have to wait for the Ultimate Reset to be over, on the reset you can only have vegetable based shakeology so it's been vegan strawberry from time to time when I need something a that feels like a cheat. If you want to give the new café latte a try let me know. You can try it risk free for 30 days with a money back guarantee. As with all of Beachbody products if your not satisfied with it you can get your full money back. As our CEO says "we are not in the business of selling products, we are in the business of changing lives"....

Day 13 of the Ultimate Reset I woke up feeling good. I tend to really focus on the scale which is a big no-no with any program so I am obsessing about that number. This week I have only lost .2 pounds but that is to be expected after losing 10.4 pounds in the first week. I am so proud of myself for even making it this far. I have never been so committed to anything in my life until I started this journey and the programs with beachbody. I am surrounded by such amazing inspiring women that it just brings the best out of me and I love the person I am and the person I am becoming in the process. So one of my favorite soups this week was the sweet potato and roasted red pepper bisque so I wanted to share that here.

Sweet potato and Roasted Red Pepper bisque

Ingredients

• 1 sweet potato
• ¼ red bell pepper
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water
• 1 tsp. finely grated peeled ginger root
• 1½ tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp. miso paste, diluted in 1 tsp. hot water
• Tamari or Bragg^® Liquid Aminos, Himalayan salt, and herbal seasoning (to taste)

Directions
Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Cook in boiling water until tender. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, roast a whole red bell pepper on gas stovetop or grill, turning frequently until evenly charred on the outside OR in your oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or until skin is charred.
Put pepper in bowl and cover with towel for 10 minutes to steam. Clean off skin and seeds by running under cool water. Remove seeds, cut in quarters, and chop one quarter into ½-inch cubes. (Set remainder of pepper aside for another use.)
Place sweet potato, pepper, broth or water, ginger, oil, and miso in blender. (If you want chunky soup, set aside some chunks of pepper.) Blend thoroughly, adding more liquid to achieve desired soup consistency. Transfer to a pot and gently heat on low until hot. Add tamari or aminos, salt, and seasoning as desired. Serves 1.

Nutrition

• 220 calories
• 7 g fat
• 1 g saturated fat
• 0 mg cholesterol
• 530 mg sodium
• 35 g carbohydrate
• 6 g fiber
• 3 g protein
• 509 mg potassium

It is Day 7 of the Ultimate reset and I am enjoying this journey thus far. I have learned so many new recipes and tried so many different things with food. The way I eat will forever be changed for the better. I had no idea that going vegetarian could be so delicious. It has not yet been a full week and I have already lost in the double digits. Tomorrow I start Phase 2 and I cannot wait to see where the next two weeks takes me. Below is my new favorite recipe;

Zucchini Cashew Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small zucchini, cut into chunks and steamed
• ¼ cup raw cashews
• Himalayan salt or Bragg^® Liquid Aminos (to taste)
• Herbal seasoning or fresh herbs, like basil or dill (optional; to taste)
• Steamed vegetables (optional; for chunky soup)

Directions
Soak cashews in enough water to cover for 1 hour; drain. Combine cashews, zucchini, salt or aminos, and seasonings in blender and mix until smooth, adding water as needed for desired consistency. Pour into saucepan and reheat gently, but do not boil. For chunky soup, add steamed chopped vegetables of your choice. Can also be served cold. Serves 1.
Nutrition

• 250 calories
• 17 g fat
• 3.5 g saturated fat
• 0 mg cholesterol
• 30 mg sodium
• 21 g carbohydrate
• 4 g fiber
• 9 g protein
• 1,036 mg potassium

Today is day 5 of the Ultimate reset for me and I have the blues. I am not really sure why. I was told that a good cleanse can bring up some emotional stuff and I guess that is what it is doing. I have some things on my heart that really weigh me down and I don't really have anyone I can talk to about it. I probably do, I just don't really let people in enough to be there for me. I think I am afraid of what they might think of me or maybe I just don't want to bother people with my nonsense. I am not even sure this is the right platform to talk about this. Sometimes I feel so emotionally disconnected from my husband. He is not the most affectionate type, his father was a sheriff and police chief and not much of an affectionate man so he learned it from him. I try to remember that when he fails to be there for me emotionally. But it doesn't hurt any less. So that is one of the things this cleanse is bringing up for me. Thankfully the cleanse aligns with my church fast so I have been incorporating prayer and meditation. So I think I will take this one to prayer and ask for his guidance and comfort. I really want some potato chips to get me through this but that won't help and it will ruin my cleanse. Anyways, I am down 7 pounds in 4 days. You can't count Friday because it's not over yet. Hopefully I can stick it out.17 days to go :/

It is Day 3 of my Ultimate reset and today for lunch was a Lentil-Lime salad. I have never thought about having lentils for lunch but it was yummy. I think it would be good in a broth as a soup as well.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked green lentils (see recipe on pg. 88)
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1½ tsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• Braggs Liquid Aminos (to taste; optional)
• Himalayan salt (to taste; optional)
• ¼ tsp. ground cumin (optional)
• Herbal seasoning blend (to taste; optional)

Directions

1. Combine lentils, carrot, cilantro, oil, lime juice, and Braggs Liquid Aminos, plus salt, cumin, and seasoning blend (if desired); toss gently to blend.
2. Let salad marinate, covered, in refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

Nutrition

• Calories: 326
• Total Fat: 8 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 335 mg
• Carbohydrate: 49 g
• Fiber: 18 g
• Sugar: 7 g
• Protein: 19 g

Blessings of being a coach

So today as I was driving my youngest daughter to school I couldn't help but think about how blessed I am to live the life that I live. I get to be apart of my children's daily activities in their lives. I get to take my daughter to school everyday and be there in that god awful car pool lane (GRRR!!!) in the afternoons to pick her up ;)  My son is a long jumper on the Kennesaw state track team and will start traveling for their season this weekend and I get to go to all of his meets. My oldest daughter a senior at Georgia State comes by sometimes in the afternoon just to hang out or for a workout. My middle daughter I get together in the middle of the day sometimes for shopping and hair appointments and I get to be their when they need me. I remember when they were all younger and I had to work outside of the home. I would miss countless dance recitals, T-ball games orchestra concerts, plays and basketball games because I couldn't always get off of work. I've had to leave my family on Thanksgiving day right after we ate dinner to go work for someone else adding value to their life instead of mine. Miss trick or treating when they were little because no one would take my shift. Not anymore, I now have the freedom of my own time. I get to be there for my daughter to pick her up. I get to go to all of my sons collegiate athletic events even the ones out of state. I don't have to ask my boss (someone else) for more time off to be a mom anymore. I am so thankful that this is my reality now. I get to be the mom I always wanted to be in more ways then one. I get to have the life that I dreamed of having as a little girl growing up in the hood. I am so grateful that I took a chance with the beachbody coaching opportunity when it was brought to me. I get to use my passion for health and fitness to change my families life and the lives of some many others and have the life that I wanted as a kid. My only wish is.......... I wish it had been brought to me when my kids were little so I didn't have to miss so many things.


For more information about coaching or joining my team send me a message on my facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/phyllis.thompson.1865

I have decided that my program for January will be the 21 Day Ultimate reset and today was day 1.
I must say Day 1 was not bad at all. I had some amazing meals especially tonight's dinner. It was so delicious and it's been kid tested and husband approved. It is a marinated salmon, steamed asparagus with lemon and boiled baby red potatoes. My family loves salmon and this marinade was so delicious and the salmon wasn't dry and who knew that boiled potatoes would taste good? I sure didn't the only way I ever had them growing up was either fried, mashed covered in butter or gravy or baked and loaded. Baby red potatoes have a lower glycemic index that regular white potatoes so they make for a much cleaner choice.                                                                                    

This was a delicious clean meal.

Marinated Salmon, steamed asparagus with lemon and boiled baby reds:

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• ¼ tsp. Himalayan salt
• ½ tsp. herbal seasoning blend
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 6 oz. wild-caught salmon fillet

Directions

1. Combine garlic, oil, basil, salt, seasoning blend, lemon juice, and parsley in a large bowl; mix well.
2. Place marinade in a shallow dish; place salmon in marinade, turning several times to coat all sides well. Marinate, covered, in refrigerator for 20 minutes, turning once after 10 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350° F.
4. Place salmon on a piece of aluminum foil. Cover with marinade; seal. (NOTE: Be sure to use all marinade here if there's extra, discard; do not use as serving sauce.)
5. Place sealed salmon on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Nutrition

• Calories: 331
• Total Fat: 20 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Cholesterol: 94 mg
• Sodium: 611 mg
• Carbohydrate: 2 g
• Fiber: 0 g
• Sugar: 0 g
• Protein: 34 g

Asparagus is steamed and drizzled with 1 tsp of olive oil and sprinkled with Himalayan sea salt
season to taste.
Boiled baby reds are cleaned thoroughly and boiled for 20 minutes. Do Not Overcook. Sprinkled with Himalayan sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.