Friday, February 26, 2016

I don't feel like doing anything at all today. That happens to me at least once a month. I blame it on the curse of Aunt flow. The week before she arrives all I want to do is live on my island "the sofa" as my husband calls it. With ice cream and all of the forbidden foods that I work tirelessly daily to avoid. On these days I literally have to force myself to do the basic things like engage with other people. It absolutely wreaks havoc on me physically, mentally and emotionally. I know all of the right things to do to get me out of this funk but even doing them is like pulling teeth. I am not sure if it's just that part of me that likes to play the victim that keeps me from trying harder to pull myself out of it or what. I deal with depression and I am on Wellbutrin which usually works just fine, but days like this I find it difficult to get my head in the right mental space.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Shrimp and Veggie Stir-Fry
 
I am completely amazed sometimes by how easy it can be to put together healthy delicious meals on a whim, simply from the knowledge I've gained over the years about spices. I never thought I would be the kind of person that when thinking about making a stir-fry would explore all options to keep it grain free. I love how I now substitute a zucchini noodle for real noodles or rice. It doesn't always cut it for me, but in this dish it did. Remember, I put this together on a whim so you will want to taste as you go in an effort not to make it too salty, too spicy or too sweet. This is only enough for one serving so you will want to double up if your making 2-3 servings. I hope you enjoy it <3
 
1/2lb of shrimp
1/4 onion sliced thin
1/2 red bell pepper sliced thin
10 snow peas
1/4 cup of shredded or thinly sliced carrots
1/2 to 1 full spiraled zucchini
Canola cooking spray
3/4 cup of all natural chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons of seasoned rice vinegar
2-3 tablespoons of Braggs amino's (it is a healthy alternative to soy sauce, but taste just the same)
Pink Himalayan Salt
ground or fresh ginger
Crushed red pepper
Stevia
Coat frying pan with canola cooking spray and Sauté shrimp until cooked throughout, then set aside in a bowl. Sauté veggies just under desired crispness, then add broth, spiraled zucchini, seasoned rice vinegar, braggs aminos, Himalayan salt, ginger, stevia and crushed red pepper and continue to cook on medium low to desired crisp or tenderness. Add shrimp to heat through stir and serve.
 
 
Another quick note; If you have a farmers market near you that has their shrimp brought in fresh daily, you should get your shrimp from there. The taste is so much better, sweeter and cleaner and they are fresher.
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, February 20, 2016


I have always wanted to be the kind of person that grows her own food, goes lobster diving in the ocean to get my dinner (I actually met a couple in Ft. Lauderdale that do that and they give lessons so someday soon) clamming for clams, making my own dressings and healthy treats. Like living off the land and being in complete control of what I put into my body. So although I haven't gotten to the point of growing and catching my own dinners, I am making my own dressings.....So that's a step in the right direction right ?!?!.. LOL   This dressing is one of my favorites, it is lip smackin'  This recipe calls for Miso paste which I found in the refrigerated section of Kroger. Now it was a bit on the expensive side but it lasts a really long time and you can make dressings of course, and use it in soups. I also use it in soba noodle bowls and all sorts of great healthy foods with an Asian flare. My daughter and I love Asian food but usually the only way to get it healthy (low sodium and less oil) is to make it ourselves, which is a great way to have fun and spend time together, so it's a great little find to have.  Then my other little fun new thing is putting things in these cute little jars....it looks like breast milk doesn't it..hehehe!!  Where were these things when I was breastfeeding? Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

A serving size is 2 tbsp.
1 Tbsp. Miso paste
1/4 cup of rice vinegar
1/4 cup of water
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
1 clove of garlic chopped
1 green onion chopped
1/2 raw honey or pure maple syrup (I personally used the honey for the hint of sweetness, pure maple syrup isn't very sweet)
5 Tbsp. olive oil
Now although this recipe calls for a green onion I didn't have any left so I made it without it and it was yummy.
Place miso paste, vinegar, water, ginger, garlic, and honey in blender; cover and blend until smooth
Keep refrigerated between uses.



I love it when I find a healthy recipe that I can use to substitute for some of my favorite unhealthy foods. These chicken fingers are surprisingly crispy. I have never been able to make crispy baked chicken fingers. So needless to say I was a little worried when I tried it, but they came out delicious and crispy. I even used the leftovers on top of my salad for lunch the next day. I used whole wheat breadcrumbs this time but I am going to try to go even healthier next time and make my own "coating" if you will.

           
  • 1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs                      
  • 1/2  of herbal seasoning (Italian seasonings)         
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Coarse Himalayan salt and ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (about 16)

    1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine herbal seasonings, onion and garlic powders, 1 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper then add your oil and combine. Make sure you use a large enough bowl to put the chicken in to be coated.         
    2. Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Then lightly beat your eggs in a small bowl. Dip chicken in eggs (allowing excess to drip off), then dredge in crumb mixture, patting to help it stick. Place coated chicken on rack, and put them in the oven.          
    3. Bake until chicken until cooked throughout, 12 to 14 minutes.

    Sunday, February 14, 2016

    The stuggle of weight loss

    I am a little frustrated at the moment. My weight loss has stalled and I am starting to snack on unhealthy foods again out of sheer frustration. So I just had to let this little breakdown happen so I could sit in it long enough to remember just how miserable it will make me. That's apart of the journey right? If losing weight and getting healthy was easy everyone would be doing it. It's not easy and it does mess with you mentally. It can be exhausting and sometimes I feel like, if nothing is changing then why not go back to eating whatever the heck I want. Feeling like this is normal and I have to remind myself of that. It does help that I have noticed how yucky I feel. I feel tired and sick, it's a weird sick feeling. It's not like a cold its more like an icky feeling. Headachy, my mind feels cloudy, I am sleepy... I just don't feel good. So I had to take a step back and really revisit my goals really think about what I want to feel like and look like. What do I want my quality of life to be, because that's what it all boils down to right?  I know I don't want to feel like this so figure out what is wrong with what I am doing and do something about it, fix it. I went back to tracking what I was eating with the my fitness pal app and cross referencing that with my 21 day fix app to track my containers and I noticed I was having way to many blues (healthy fats) I was having 3 a day instead of 1. But that couldn't be the only culprit could it? I then noticed that I wasn't counting my almond milk, just about everything that I put into my body counts. So I went back to see not only was I not tracking it or counting it I was having too much of it. Then I had starting eating the chocolate chips meant for my shakes while I was making my shake....UGH!!! It is so easy to throw yourself off track and get frustrated and throw in the towel. But then what? What are my options then, just give up...No that is not an option for me. So today, on meal prep day when I go grocery shopping I need to think about what I am eating this week for all meals, I have to make sure I am portioning them out without any deviations. I won't buy the little extras that I keep for adding to my shakes like the chocolate chips ;( and go from there. My husband also pointed out to me that I spend a lot of time being sedentary. I workout but outside of that I am in school a few days a week and then I come home and work on my computer or do homework which I am sitting for. So I will add in taking the dog for longer walks in between work and study sessions. The funny thing is I did not want to hear that from him, how crazy is that? I know all of the right things to do and to tell people to do. But when he was pointing out something I needed to change I was a little pissed off. How dare he tell me I sit too much. I am working?!?!  If I take an extra 30 minutes to go walk the dog, do you know how much time that takes away from something else that I can be doing?!? Then I thought about the things I want to say to people when they tell me they are too busy to plan their meals or workout.... You have to make you a priority or your body will make you take time for it by making you sick. So although I am still a little angry, he is right. As they say the truth hurts. I now have a plan going into this week. Stick to my meal plan and go back to portioning everything, take dog walk breaks for at least 30 minutes a couple of days this week, still follow my workouts and take a deep breath, meditate. Focus on my goals and remember and acknowledge my successes, it all matters and remember just how far I've come.

    Saturday, February 13, 2016


    Café Latte recipes:






    Tiramisu Shakeology



     Tiramisu Shakeology.
    1 packet of cafe latte Shakeology
    1/2 a cup of unsweetened chocolate almond milk
    1/2 a cup of water...
    2 tbsp of part-skim ricotta
    Add ice, blend and love
    I actually skipped the ice and added 1/2 of a frozen banana. This will alter the taste slightly, but it was still delicioso😋

    Fun Fact about cafe latte Shakeology:
    The coffee bean is surrounded by a red fleshy fruit... 😳 RIGHT!?! Who knew coffee is a fruit? This whole coffee fruit is a powerful superfood imported from Mexico and/or India to make this flavor of Shakeology. ‪#‎yummmm

    Rewards of being a Beachbody Coach

    As coaches, it is our goal to help change the lives of at least 3 people every month. In addition to being recognized for reaching that goal, I was awarded access to a live webcast with Jen Sincero author of the New York Times best selling book "You are a badass: How to Stop Doubting your Greatness and Start living an Awesome life"
    That webcast was about an hour ago and I cannot express how amazing it was to hear the thoughts, words and experience the energy that she shared ...with us. It reminded me of pastor Franklins sermon last Sunday where he said...."If all of your friends are broke, miserable and unhealthy, you might want to make some new friends" ..LOL He wasn't saying it to be ugly, he was making a point. He went on to say, it doesn't mean they are bad people. It's just you all have the same information. So if you want to be on a different level, it is time to spend time with people on that level, because they have information you don't have"..... so you can absorb the energy, knowledge and characteristics that it takes to be on their level.
    That made so much more sense to me tonight after this webcast. I cannot tell you how thankful I am that I took a chance on this coaching opportunity. When I first heard about it I thought like so many others that "it is too good to be true", "that kind of success doesn't happen to anyone we know"....Well it is not too good to be true. I am proof because that success is happening for me. I live a life on a completely differently level being of service to women that want a change. I am rewarded by these women reaching their goals and in recogntion and rewards by the company. The monetary success is just icing on the cake. A cake that affords me to live a life i never thought i would live. I am surrounded by the most amazing people (all coaches) that I have ever met. I didn't have to be in shape when I started as a coach and i didn't have to know everything about fitness. All I needed was a desire to improve my life and the lives of others. I am honored, blessed and thankful that God saw fit to bring this into my life ‪#‎thatcoachlife‬




    21 Day fix spaghetti and meatballs

    I loved this recipe for meatballs, they were delicious. I used some for my spaghetti which I had for dinner two nights in a row and I had some with my breakfast for two mornings in a row. They have amazing flavor.

    I box of whole wheat pasta (I used organic but it doesn't really matter).
    I used all natural spaghetti sauce
    But the meatballs make this dish:

    Non stick cooking spray
    1/3 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs
    1/4 cup of reduced fat (2%) milk
    or unsweetened almond milk
    2 tsp of olive oil
    1 medium onion, finely chopped
    3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
    2 lbs of all natural ground turkey 93% lean
    2 large eggs
    1/4 cup  finely chopped parsley
    2 Tbsp of grated parmesan
    1 tsp  of dried oregano
    1/2 tsp of Himalayan sea salt
    1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
    4 cups of all natural tomato, spaghetti or marinara

    Pre heat oven to 425
    Line large baking sheet with parchment paper, lightly coat with spray
    Mix bread crumbs and milk in a small bowl and set aside to soak for 10 minutes
    Heat oil in medium skillet on medium heat
    Add onion, turkey, eggs, cheese, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper and bread crumb mixture in a large bowl mix well.  You can refrigerate for an hour or make them right away depending on the kind of time you have.
    Roll your meatballs and place on the parchment paper you sprayed earlier and place in a baking sheet.
    Bake for 13 to 18 minutes or brown and thoroughly cooked.
    Serve over pasta with your sauce.