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In One Year!

love_what_you_doThis week we celebrated Labor Day. A day – free from work. A day to spend relaxing, doing what we enjoy INSTEAD of work. Well, what if our work was something we actually enjoyed and looked forward to doing everyday?!? What a CRAZY idea right?!

Not really…Exactly 1 year ago, I decided to be a Beachbody coach – at first for the discounts and maybe for a little family ‘fun’ money! It’s turned into SO much more than that for me! I look forward to getting up every day and seeing how my challenge groups are doing, or answering messages from people who want to get started on their own fitness journeys, or become coaches themselves. I get to workout, eat healthy foods and talk about it! If you know me, you know I like to talk! And it’s part of my “job” now! SCORE!

A lot has changed in one year! I signed up as a coach right around Labor Day of last year, ready for a change and a way to get OFF the plateau I’d been stuck on for the last couple of years. I instantly fell in love with the idea of helping people while I helped myself! Since then, I’m down 24 pounds and UP an average of $500-$1000 per month (and I’m not stopping!)! It’s more than a hobby or a pastime for me, it is my passion now. And I enjoy every single minute I GET to spend building my business, and helping other people along the way. To get my own friends and family on-board and adopt a healthier lifestyle, has been icing on the cake! Labor Day…Ha! I don’t need it, every day is my Labor Day! 🙂

Because I LOVE what I do, I get excited to share it with anyone else who’s interested in the following:
1) helping others
2) health & fitness
3) getting in the best shape of your life
4) being your own boss
5) working when, where and how you want
6) earning up to $100-$500 extra dollars per month to start, with the potential to double that within a year, and keep growing your income from there – All while having FUN!

New 6 Week Internship starting Monday, Sept. 9!!

Interested? I only have room for a couple more people who are ready to commit to a 6 week internship where you’ll receive daily training, and learn the tips necessary to build a successful business of your own. We start Monday, so let me know a.s.a.p.!

Fine print: Sorry, no coaches or those working with other coaches.
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Grasshoppers Taste GOOD!

Grasshopper_bitesEvery so often I get a bee – no bug – no grasshopper in my bonnet to create an alternative to a food that’s been tempting me, or someone I know, to overindulge and sabotage my best clean-eating efforts! In this case, it was those darn Keebler Grasshopper Cookies giving my challenger -> turned friend -> turned COACH – Sharon, all kinds of trouble! Never mind that when she told me about it, she thought that I thought that she was actually eating grasshoppers grasshopperof the insect variety, haha! Nope, I knew JUST what she was talking about, because I too have a love for all things minty and chocolaty! 

So I says to myself, “Self, what are we talking about here: mint and chocolate and cookie. Why not make a mint chocolate cookie dough bite!?” So I checked out my original Cookie Dough Bite recipe, and thought I’d tweak it a little and see what happened. The result was these tasty little things!

Disclaimer: If you KNOW you are not a “One and Done” kind of sweet-tooth satisfier, than proceed with caution. These are a much cleaner version than the Keebler Grasshopper cookies, but they should be enjoyed in moderation. In other words…they’re GOOD, so be careful! 🙂

Mint Chocolate GRASSHOPPER Cookie Dough Bites

(Phew! That’s a mouthful!)

 Ingredients

  • 1/3 C. raw almonds
  • 1/3 C. raw walnuts
  • 1 C. rolled oats
  • 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology (you can get that from me if you need it!)
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • ¼ C. honey (or agave nectar)
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1/4 t. peppermint extract

Directions:

In a food processor or blender, process the almonds, walnuts, oats, and salt to a fine meal. Transfer to bowl add Shakeology, honey and vanilla, peppermint and mix. Wet hands and roll into 1 tsp.-sized balls (should make about 12-15) and place them on a cookie pan lined with foil or parchment paper. Place the pan into the freezer for about an hour to firm up. Store balls in a tightly covered container, or Ziploc bag in the freezer.

Nutritional Info (per bite)

80 calories, 11 g. carbs, 3 g. protein

*BONUS!*

Here’s my FAVORITE Shakeology recipe! Guess what…It’s MINT and Chocolate!!

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What’s for Lunch?

tuna_sandI’m packing up a lunch for today. I will not be tempted by the snack bar, or the fast food restaurants on the way to my destination. Even if the kids are whining in the back, “Please Mom”, they’ll say. “Heck no”, I’ll say. I’ve got tuna salad today. I made it and packed it myself.

I haven’t always been a ‘packer’. The last year has changed the way I look at a road trip, or a day away from home. I used to say,”ah, we’ll just stop and eat someplace along the way”. Nothing good ever comes of that! I have not eaten from a drive-thru in almost a year! I work too hard on my health and fitness to sabotage all of that with grease and sodium! Plus, I have a fridge and pantry all stocked with very edible and pack-able foods. It might take an extra 10 minutes before we leave, but it’s worth it. Not to mention, when we DID hit the drive-thrus, I was ALWAYS the car that had to pull ahead and wait for our food. So those 10 minutes would’ve been spent waiting for our pink slime and leftover chicken bits anyway! *I do occasionally give in to the kids pleas…sometimes they just gotta have their hockey pucks and fat sticks. Blech!

So on to the tuna…I’ve made this tuna, and even posted about it on Facebook about a zillion times! It’s a stand-by lunch for me. It’s really simple and a great way to make it without the mayo!

Tuna Salad (makes 2 servings)

Ingredients:tuna-fish-sandwich-funny-someecard

  • 1 can very low sodium albacore tuna
  • 2 T non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 avocado (mashed)
  • 1 t. dijon mustard

Mix-ins:

  • diced onions
  • diced celery
  • diced pickle

*Whatever crunchy bits you like!

I like to eat mine either like an open-faced sandwich. Sometimes I’ll just scoop it into romaine lettuce leaves. Or I like to have it in an Ezekiel tortilla.

Nutitional info: 1 serving (just the tuna salad) is about 150 calories, 3 g. fat, 20 g. protein, 8 g. carbs

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My Secrets Revealed…Tonight!

aug2012-aug2013I’m coming up on my one year anniversary as a Beachbody coach. How has my life changed since then?

Let’s recap:

Beachbody-Coaching

  • I’ve lost 24 pounds and many inches (I lost count after 20!).
  • I’m in the best shape of my life!
  • I work from home.
  • I’m my own boss.
  • I’m earning an extra income for my family.
  • I found something I am very passionate about!
  • I wake up excited every day to ‘work’.
  • I have helped over 100 people start and continue to live healthier lives.
  • I have a team of passionate coaches that have the same outlook and goals as I do.
  • I’m having an absolute BLAST!

You might ask how coaching helped me lose weight and get in the best shape of my life. Well, the answer is accountability! Not every coach is at their goal weight when the get started. Actually, I would say MOST are not! They are on this journey, and inviting others along with them. When you ask people to join you, you can’t expect them to do something that you’re not doing yourself! Being a coach has kept me accountable to my goals!

If you’ve ever been remotely curious about what I do as a coach, or if it’s something you think might be a good fit for you, too…than check out a webinar that I am co-hosting tonight with my friend and fellow coach, Amanda. We are getting ready to begin our next 6 Week Coaching internship that will start on September 9, and want to take this opportunity FIRST to share the basics of coaching and how we both came to try it, and love it!

We’ll be on at 8:30 pm EST, tonight (Wednesday, 8/28). It should only run about 30 minutes. There is absolutely no commitment! You sit, you watch, you decide if this is something you might be interested in doing.  You can register with this link: http://www.anymeeting.com/PIID=E958DC86884B3C

And if you like, send me a quick note to let me know you’ll be there! I’d love to know who I’m talking to. 🙂

 

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Stuff It!

stuffed_peppersWith the bounty of veggies coming from the farm this time of year, I had a plethora of peppers to eat! (Ya, I just used the word plethora! I try to use it whenever I can!) I decided to stuff a few and call it dinner! So to make it nice and healthy, cause that’s the way I roll, I settled on lean ground turkey and quinoa with which to stuff said peppers. 🙂 And so here is what I did:

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. lean ground turkey
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 C. chopped onion
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 1/4 t. chipotle chili powder (or cayenne pepper, just something to add a teensy bit of heat)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 large bell peppers (any color will do), washed
  • 1 C. chicken broth (divided)
  • 1/2 c. tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 C. cooked quinoa (follow instructions on package – I cooked mine in broth)
  • 1/4 C. reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to the pan and saute about 2 minutes. Add ground turkey. Season with sea salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder and chipotle and brown meat until cooked through completely. Add tomato sauce and 1/2 C. chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Mix in cooked quinoa and remove from heat.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove all seeds. Place in a baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it as full as you can. Place all of the pepper halves in the baking dish, and pour the remainder of the broth into the bottom of the pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes. With last five minutes, remove foil, top with cheddar cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted.

We liked ours topped with a little homemade salsa. Good stuff! (get it…”stuff”) 🙂

Nutritional Info per pepper half: 

Calories: 242, Fat: 8 g., Carbs: 23 g., Protein: 21 g., Fiber: 3 g.

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Hey! Let’s Eat Some Frogs!

challenge-Mind_bodySo if I’ve learned anything over the past year…weight loss is WAY more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge! Yes working out is hard, and it makes you sore and tired at the beginning, etc…but the real challenge is keeping your focus and getting beyond the doubts, frustrations, set-backs and plateaus that you will inevitably encounter along the way! You’ll wonder some days how you will be able to carve out the time for a workout in your busy schedule. You’ll be tired, and crabby and just down sometimes. That’s when you need your brain to remember that exercise makes you feel BETTER! You’ll struggle with nutrition, which is ALL mental! You have to retrain your brain not to pay attention to cravings caused by years of bad eating habits. You have to remember that food is fuel, not therapy or something to pass the time. These things are HARD to do!  It’s almost entirely mental!

That is why I’ve decided that September is a great time, with the kids going back to school, to do some book-learning and brain re-training of our own! I’ve decided to start a book club/weight-loss support group. Two for the price of one! 🙂 I need some accountability to work on my own self-improvement goals (both physical AND mental). This group will be open to anyone who wants to get in better shape AND learn how to get MORE done in LESS time (including your workouts!).

Join me for this “Biggest Loser” type of challenge AND book club! We’ll be reading Eat That Frog: by Brian Tracy. We’ll be starting on September 9! We’ll workout, eat better, read just 5 pages a day – everybody’s got time for that! We’ll be keeping each other ON TRACK through a private Facebook support group for 30 days. I will be your coach, providing daily motivation, tips and recipes, and we’ll all check in daily for accountability.

Fitness + Nutrition + Accountability = Success!

Don’t believe me? Read some of the testimonials from previous challenge participants by clicking HERE!

*Anyone who joins with a “Challenge Pack” will receive the book for FREE! I only have a couple of spots left for this one.

What is a Challenge Pack? EVERYTHING you’ll need for maximum results: new fitness program + Shakeology + 30 day club membership for additional support and personalized meal-planning.

There are some GREAT sales going on this month, too!

turbo-fire-august
CLICK HERE to learn more!

For just a short time longer, you can get the very popular Turbo Fire Challenge pack and save $70!

focus-t25-august-challenge-pack-discount
Click HERE to learn more!

 

And, the BRAND NEW Shaun T program, Focus T25! Workout 25 minutes/day!

 

 

 

 

There are LOTS more to pick from too! You can check them out HERE!

Ready to join? Fill out the form below and I’ll contact you soon!

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Presto Pesto!

pestoI was just asked to share this recipe here on the blog, so that is just what I’ll do. Funny, because I just thawed out some of these babies yesterday to make dinner (I’ll share that one, too!) I LOVE pesto! My husband and I both do!

When I was in my 20’s, so like a million years ago, I was a waitress at an Italian restaurant. This was my first experience with pesto. My husband initially gagged at the look of it, it’s not the prettiest site! But once he tasted it, he was hooked! He ordered the same pesto dish EVERY single time he came in to see me – which was a LOT of pesto! 😉

So…now I just whip it up myself. Easy peasy!  I get fresh basil and garlic (sometimes the garlic scapes, which work well too!) at the farm where we are CSA members (community-supported agriculture). After I make a big batch (and a little goes a long way!), I like to freeze it and then pop out a few cubes at a time for different dishes I make. You can spread it on pizza, add to soups and sautéed veggies, chicken, fish… lots of stuff! Check out how easy it is to make it!

Pesto
Add to food processor (a blender will work too, might just take some stopping and starting):

  • 2 C. packed basil leaves
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 C. pine nuts (walnuts work well too)
  • 1/4 C. grated parmesan
  • 1 t. lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. *Give it a whirl just to blend
  2. Drizzle 1/4 – 1/2 C. Olive oil while spinning until desired consistency.
  3. Yum!

Now bust out your ice-cube trays and fill ’em up! Once they’re frozen, pop them out and put them into a freezer bag and save for a rainy, sunny, or partly cloudy day! 🙂

So then yesterday I says to myself, “Self, let’s make some shrimp for dinner!”.

Pesto Shrimppesto_shrimp

  • 1-1.5 pounds raw shrimp
  • apx. 4 pesto cubes (thawed)
  • 7-10 wooden skewers (soaked in water to prevent burning) or metal skewers if you want to avoid soaking

 

  1. Combine raw shrimp with pesto and marinate a few hours in a bowl.
  2. Thread shrimp onto the skewers.
  3. Heat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-low heat until hot. Be sure the grates are clean and spray or brush lightly with oil.
  4. Place the shrimp on the hot grill and cook until shrimp turns pink on the bottom, about 3-4 minutes.
  5. Turn and continue cooking until shrimp is opaque and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.

We served these with Zoodles!

There you go Chris! I hope that helps you find what you were looking for!

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I’M BACK!

I’ve been MIA for so long because 1) It’s vacation season, and we chose remote locations this year, making any sort of computer-use completely impossible! And 2) I decided to update my blog and host it myself, giving me some bells and whistles I didn’t have before! So bear with me…as I try to figure it all out!

Back to vacations…

We had a great time this year camping with 7 of my high school girl friends and our camping2013 (72)combined 22 kids! I am always amazed that we manage to pull this off every year! The kids have so much fun, and we just get to enjoy each other’s company – even as we deal with leaky tents, bug bites, boo-boos and the occasional raccoon!

I do not fancy myself much of a camper, but I’m getting better each year. This year, I even stayed a little longer than I normally do. I decided to suck it up, and take one for the team, which made my “team” very happy! I managed to stay on track pretty well with food and workouts. I abandoned the cooler this fridge_campingyear for a full-on refrigerator! I packed it with lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and of course all of my standard Shakeology fixins! My fantastic Target find, personal Oster Blender was PERFECT! I blended my shake every morning either for breakfast, or after my morning workout. I love when I can stick to my routine. It just makes me feel better, and then I can relax and enjoy my vacation, know that I didn’t set myself back so far that I need to start over as soon as we get home. It’s a win-win!

camping2013 (69)

For workouts, I just packed my running shoes and some workout clothes and counted on some runs, walks or stair workouts. There is a BIG long stair case leading down to Lake Michigan, and I wore a path up and down them MANY times!  I went for a couple of runs, too. Running or walking is such a portable exercise! You really can do it just about anywhere and any fitness level! And when you do it on vacation, you get to see new things, smell new camping2013 (77)smells and it just feels good to get out and do something active!

Apparently, my pepper-eating technique was intriguing enough that one of the kids went home and asked his mom if he could eat a bell pepper the way that he saw me do it while we were camping. He thought it was pretty funny that I just picked it up and ate it like an apple! camping2013 (123)

All in all, it was a very fun trip! Between rain showers and thunderstorms, we managed to get some beach time! And we had a LOT of laughs and made some new memories that will be with us until next year, when we’ll do it all again!

StarvationLake-2013 (66)After that trip, we had a couple of days to unpack, unwind and then re-pack for a quick family get-away ‘up-north’. I wish we could have stayed a little longer, but we had a nice time relaxing, fishing, playing cards and board games, and just being together without the usual distractions.

no_tv

So…as summer winds down, I hope that you all found some time to relax, unwind, unplug and spend time with the people you love. I also hope that you have a healthy, happy fall and make your goals a priority. As always, if you need help getting started, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ve always got a new support group starting up each month. Want information? Click the tab “30 Day Challenge” at the top of this page.  Now I’m hitting the pool! I’m holding on to summer until the bitter end! 🙂

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Chicken Fried Brown Rice with Veggies!

The key to making fried rice like you get in the restaurant, is using cold rice! So first, you have to ‘accidentally’ make too much rice for dinner some night. THEN, a couple of nights later, you have to remember that you MEANT to do that, so that you could make some fried rice! I used brown rice that I cook in my Instant Pot, because that thing RULES! I could NEVER cook brown rice right until I got one of those babies! Now, that’s ALL I make! Go ME!  You can eat this as a main dish, OR as a side dish with some delish Asian-inspired entrée! Either way, it’s a crowd-pleaser. 🙂


chick_brown_rice

Chicken Fried Brown Rice with Veggies!

serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 T. coconut oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 ½ cups cooked brown rice, cooled
  • 8 oz. cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast (chopped)
  • 8 oz. frozen peas (about 1 cup)
  • 2 carrots cut into small coins (about 1 cup)
  • *or just add 2 cups frozen mixed veggies (or any veggie combos you like)
  • 2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce, or Bragg’s liquid aminos
  • 1 green onion, sliced thin (for garnish – optional)

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion begins to soften. Reduce heat to medium.
3. Add egg whites; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until eggs start to set.
4. Add rice, chicken, peas, and soy sauce; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes or until heated through.
5. Divide evenly into four serving bowls; garnish evenly with green onion.

享受！(I think/HOPE that means, “Enjoy!”) 🙂

Portion containers: 1 red, 1 yellow, 1/2 green, 1/2 blue/orange

*252 calories and 23 grams of protein per serving

The 21 Day Fix meal plan makes it SO easy to plan, prepare and track daily nutrition. Women I work with lose up to 3-5 pounds per week! Combine the nutrition with daily 30 minute workouts and you’ll see results (or your money back!). GUARANTEED!

What is the 21 Day FIX?

Check out my friend Michelle’s results after 2 rounds of the 21 Day Fix. She joined a challenge group (see below) and the daily support and accountability helped her reach her goals!

Michelle_C_results

And the 80 Day Obsession program uses the same container system (cause it works!) combined with 30-40 minute strength training workouts for AMAZING results!

PS – BOTH of these programs and hundreds more are NOW AVAILABLE with the all new all new Annual ALL ACCESS Beachbody on Demand Membership (like workout Netflix)! Get 12 months ALL Access to every Beachbody Program ever made, including all new releases, for 12 months!

Do you already have BOD or a Beachbody program? If you need some extra support and accountability, be SURE to join my next support group and I’ll help you stick with it and reach your goals! I’ll share daily tips, recipes and motivation as well as be available to support and encourage you 24/7. 🙂

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This is Going to be BIG!

group_challenge_2

So we have a little competition going on among Beachbody coaches right now! But get this, if we win…YOU win! The goal: change more people’s lives through health and fitness!

THE OPPORTUNITY: This will be an opportunity like NO other! I am co-hosting a group challenge! Get this: FIVE coaches, including myself and the amazingly awesome Jenelle Summers, will be coaching, motivating and helping each participant reach their individual goals! It will be a “Biggest Loser” style challenge (LOVE that show!), starting on Monday August 12 and running for 30 days! Stick with us for 30 days, and you’ll be well on your way to making some really positive changes in your life! And, if you join this challenge on my team, you’ll get me as your coach for these 30 days and beyond! This is going to be FUN!

THE CHALLENGE: This challenge will be open to anyone who is ready to invest in something that will kick-start some serious results! We’ll be working out, eating clean and keeping each other ON TRACK! Workouts can be done from home and we’ll give advice and tips about clean, healthy eating. We’ll be doing this together in a private Facebook group! *If you’re not ready to invest in anything, I would still love to hear how I can help you, or someone you know!

THE PRIZES!: What would a competition be without prizes!? There will be one overall winner selected for best results and participation! The winner will receive a $100 gift card AND a special autographed book (join the challenge and you’ll find out!).

THE FINE PRINT: This challenge is open to anyone EXCEPT current coaches or those working with other coaches! (Stay with your own coach please! They love and care about you!) 🙂

READY?! Click the “30 Day Challenge” tab at the top of this page for more information. Read some testimonials of previous challengers and contact me to sign up and let me know what your goals are and how I can help you reach them!