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Week 1= DONE!

So I said that I was going to attempt weekly marathon training updates, so update I shall!

Week 1 is in the books! This is my fifth time training for a marathon, but I’m still just as nervous about it as I was the first time! It’s been four years, but I never swore it off forever – like so many do after their first one. I actually knew I’d do it again, I just wasn’t sure when. When is now! I don’t have any nagging injuries (knock on wood) and except for the asthma, I don’t have anything that will prevent me from at least making it to the starting line (knock on wood)!

I’m following my tried and true Hal Higdon Novice Marathon Plan. Why, you ask, am I using the Novice plan for my FIFTH marathon? Well…all I’m really concerned with is getting up to the mileage I’ll need to run the marathon. That means a slow and steady progression, with a few taper weeks, up to the LONG run, which is 20 miles. That happens a couple of weeks before the big day, and then I’ll taper again until the race.

I don’t actually do scheduled “tempo runs” and “intervals”, etc. My method is very unscientific. If I feel good, I run fast. If not, I don’t. If I get an itch, I’ll pick up and sprint for a spell, if not, I don’t. That’s it. I’m not trying to win…just survive.

 

The other reason is that I don’t want to give up some of my other workouts. I love lifting weights and I love doing other cross-training workouts, especially my favorite DVD workouts. I have been doing The 21 Day FIX workouts, since finishing P90X3. And right now I’m looking forward to PiYo, which is set to be released this week! I excited to pair this program with my running schedule because I ALWAYS need help with flexibility and strengthening. 🙂

Ultimately, I don’t care so much about my finish time, I just want to arrive in Chicago healthy, strong and capable of finishing. If I have a good day…GREAT!

I’m also trying to run this time a little more au natural. I will, however, be wearing clothes. I just mean I’m trying to avoid the fuel of the past. I used to rely on Gatorade and GU shots for hydration and food for long runs, but these days I’m just not that into food coloring and massive amounts of corn syrup. I’m trying out some cleaner, more natural alternatives…so we’ll see how that pans out. So far I’ve discovered that I’m not a BIG fan of the way plain coconut water tastes. I could choke it down, but I might need to doctor it up a bit! I’m looking for ideas on the interwebs!

So this week’s schedule consisted of 3, 3 mile runs (I did 2 of them, and walked on another day). And my long run today was a 6 miler. It’s easy now, the weather is nice and the miles are short…but boy when it gets hotter and the miles get longer…it’s going to be rough!

week 1Today’s LONG Run Report

Weather Conditions: sunny, warm, almost perfect ☀

Injury Report: NONE (knock on wood!) ✔

Nature Sightings: loads of wildflowers ❀ ✿ and 1 chalk drawing of male genitalia (does that count as “nature”?)

Songs that Inspired: “Let it GO” by Elsa ❄

Passers-by: friendly, smiles, though not a lot of “hello’s” 🙂

Chaffing: mild

On a Scale of 10: 8 – Legs felt good, it was a success.

 

 

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SO SUPER EXCITED!

Jennifer_fcThis is REALLY exciting for me! When I started coaching and then blogging almost 2 years ago, I started following a blog called Fat Chick to Fit Chick. I loved the way that Jennifer wrote, she’s HILARIOUS and insightful and full of wonderful pop-culture references! I LOVE funny people and all things funny! Besides that, she is so dang inspiring! Her transformation and her journey had me hooked! I have also used many of her recipes and workout ideas!

In short…LOVE HER!

So…I’ve been following her blog for quite some time. And I also follow her on Instagram and Facebook. I truly admire her. She has a sweet little girl she calls “Tink” and her husband Tim is hilarious, too! It’s funny how you feel like you sort of get to know these people you follow on Social Media, and to me, she had become a bit of a celebrity!

Therefore…when I contacted her about doing a Challenge Group with me, and she said YES! My heart was all a flutter! 🙂 She has been intrigued by The 21 Day FIX, so that is the program that she and her husband Tim will be doing in my next, very special edition, Challenge Group! You know I’ve talked a lot about this program in other posts, but I truly can’t say enough about it! I’ve seen SUCH amazing results with it! It is SO effective because it combines Fitness AND Nutrition! And let’s be honest…NUTRITION is the key! You can work out until you’re blue in the face (though I wouldn’t recommend it), but if you fall apart in the kitchen, you’re just not going to see results! You’ll get handy, color-coded portion control containers. So no need to count calories or points! If it fits in the container, you can eat it! And don’t worry…you won’t be hungry. Most participants are shocked at the amount of food they CAN eat! *There’s even a container for chocolate and wine! BAM! The workouts are quick (30 minutes!) and perfect for ANY level! They are basic; no fancy equipment needed, and no difficult choreography.

*If you’d like to join Jennifer, and ME, we’ll start on Monday, June 30. The deadline to join and order will be next Friday, June 20th.

Just fill in the info below, and I’ll give you the details you’ll need to join, and I’ll save you a spot!

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Clean Eating Taco Salad

I’ve stumbled onto something…and it’s my new favorite thing in the whole wide world!

I was making nachos for the kids the other night and decided that I would make myself some sorta health-ed up taco salad! So I had browned and seasoned the lean ground turkey for everyone, and now I just needed to figure out what I was going to do to make my salad deelish! I chopped up the veggies I wanted. I crunched up some baked blue corn tortilla chips – in place of the Doritos that we used to use. All that was left was the dressing! I think I only ever bought thousand island dressing for making taco salads in the past! (Doritos, too for that matter!) So I needed to find a substitute. My invention – as I am SURE that I am the ONLY person who ever thought of this 😉 – well go ahead and read the recipe!!!taco_salad_dressing

Clean Eating Taco Salad (for 2)

  • 1/2 pound lean ground turkey (browned and seasoned to your liking – I don’t use packaged seasonings, *I just make my own)
  • 2 handfuls of baked blue corn tortilla chips – crunched (that’s what I used, feel free to add crunchy bits of your choosing)
  • 2 romaine lettuce hearts – washed, rinsed and chopped
  • 2 Roma tomatoes – diced
  • 1/4 sweet onion – chopped
  • 1/2 sweet bell pepper – chopped

Directions – Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing…oh BOY…you’re going to LOVE this!

And for the DRESSING!

  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt (I like Fage)
  • 1/2 cup medium salsa (or whatever heat suits your fancy!)
  • 1 lime – squeezed!
  • little fresh cilantro! (optional but delish!)

Directions for the dressing: BLEND! As in – use a blender, or a food processor would probably work, too!

Top with shredded cheese and black olives. And ENJOY the heck out of it! I have several times since my discovery! I’ve also been using the dressing as a dip, condiment, topping for random objects, etc.

*My taco seasoning consists of lots of chili powder, some cumin, paprika, garlic salt, pepper, oregano and a pinch of chipotle chili powder. I’m sorry…I don’t measure. So that’s probably not very helpful at all!

NOTE for 21 Day FIX-ers: If you’re following the 21 Day Fix OR the 21 Day Fix EXTREME, I use 1 red, 2 greens, 1 yellow and 1 blue and 1 orange for this deliciousness!

21DF_BUTTON 21DFX_BUTTON

This recipe is from my FREE 7 – Day SlimDown plan!

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For more Clean Eating, 21 Day Fix approved salad and homemade dressing recipes, download my free ebook!

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How to SCORE Turbo Fire for FREE!

 BECAUSE SAVING $95 JUST ISN’T ENOUGH!? NOPE!

Ok…I have a personal goal this month to help as many people as I can get started with one of my two FAVORITE programs! These are the lowest prices ever offered for these 2 programs, but I want to do MORE!

MAY_Collage

So here’s the deal, I am extending a personal offer – ON TOP of the sale that’s already ON – until MIDNIGHT tonight (5/28).

DETAILS!

P90X3 Challenge Pack (complete program PLUS Shakeology) is on sale for $180 (already a $95 savings vs. buying separately) + $25 BACK (from me!) = $155 (now a $120 savings!!!)

OR think of it this way…it’s like buying Shakeology and getting P90X3 for $25!!!

 

Click HERE to order P90X3!

Turbo Fire Challenge Pack (complete program PLUS Shakeology) is on sale right now for $140 (a $90 savings vs. buying separately) + $25 BACK (from me!) = $115 ($115 savings!!!)

Or think of it this way…(this one is crazy). It’s like saving $15 on Shakeology AND getting Turbo Fire for FREE!

 

Click HERE to order Turbo Fire

Offer ends TONIGHT (WED. 5/28) at midnight! TOO crazy to pass up! Help me reach my goal, and help yourself reach YOUR goals! Anyone who orders will be invited to join my Challenge Group for daily support and accountability!

Pick a program and click the order links above, or email me to get more information. 

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It’s ALL Greek Salad for ME!

Mediterranean Vegetarian Quinoa Salad

Let me introduce you to my lunch! Man did this hit the spot today! And I’ve got a TON leftover which will be GREAT for lunches for the rest of this week. And it will travel well, so I’ll be taking it on the go, too! 🙂 PS – You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this salad! As a matter of fact, feel free to add some cut up grilled chicken or whatever meat-type products you’d like!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups veggie brothmed_salad
  • 1 cup quinoa (I used red today)
  • 1/2 red onion – chopped
  • 1 sweet bell pepper – chopped
  • 2 roma tomatoes – diced
  • 1 can chickpeas – rinsed
  • 1/2 sliced black olives (kalamata would be great!)
  • 1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 2-3 T. dry)
  • 2 lemons – squeezed
  • 2 t. red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • ground sea salt & pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Cook quinoa according to package directions (using broth instead of water). Wait until cooled to add to the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Meanwhile chop veggies and add to a large bowl with chickpeas, olives, feta and parsley.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper.
  4. Add the cooled quinoa to the bowl and toss gently with the dressing.

 

Serving suggestion: I put mine over a bed of chopped romaine lettuce. *It comes with its own salad dressing already, no need to add more!

Makes 8 servings 

1 serving = 179 calories, 6 grams protein, 16 grams carbs.

 

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Big Crock Pot O’ Shredded Buffalo Chicken

Well this was tasty and definitely worth repeating again and again!

I’ve been following the Ultimate Portion Fix meal plan, and I love how simple it is to track what to eat each day without counting calories or points. Meals like this are GREAT, because I can make a big batch, and use it throughout the week to fill up my red (lean proteins) container. I put it in wraps (I like Ezekiel tortillas) or even on top of a salad. You can adjust the heat, using the amount of hot sauce that suits your fancy. My ‘fancy’ likes it HOT! 😉

Crock Pot Shredded Buffalo Chicken

Ingredients:buffalo chicken

  • 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 2-3 celery stalks
  • 2-3 carrots
  • 1/2 onion – diced
  • 3-4 C. chicken broth
  • ground black pepper (to taste)
  • *water
  • 1/2 – 1 C. Franks Red Hot Sauce

Directions

Add chicken, garlic, celery, carrots, onion, chicken broth and pepper to the crock pot. Add enough *water (or more broth) to just about cover the chicken. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours (depending on the temp of your crock pot). Remove the veggies and skim or strain the broth to remove the icky, chunky bits. Reserve broth. Shred chicken with 2 forks and return to the crock pot with 1/2-1 cup of the reserved broth PLUS 1/2-1 cup of the hot sauce, until it’s the desired heat and moistness. 🙂 Cook for an additional 30 minutes on low. Eat it up!

buffalo_serving_suggestion
Serving Suggestion: Ezekiel wrap, lettuce, shredded carrot, chopped celery, Greek yogurt and reduced fat feta crumbles

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OMG – It Worked!

Sweet Potato Chips – in the MICROWAVE!  OMG – WTH – LOL!  chips

So…I’ve seen the recipes for these a few times and thought, “NO way this would ever work!” That’s what you’re thinking RIGHT now…isn’t it?! Well, like me…you’d be wrong! This actually works!

I was HIGHLY skeptical! But my husband was trolling Pinterest or something and insisted we give this a try. So, I got out my madolin slicer gizmo – which is just kinda fun to play with! This thing is CRAZY sharp, and I am known to be a walking disaster, so I wear the protective gloves lest I slice off a finger.

I digress…

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 sweet potato – I didn’t even peel it!
  • parchment paper
  • something to slice with
  • olive oil spray
  • sea salt
  • a microwave
  • 4-5 minutes

Directions: So I scrubbed, dried and sliced a sweet potato pretty thin, not see-through, but thin! I think it would be hard to get it right if you were slicing by hand, unless you are super skilled at knifery! You could also use a food processor with the slicing attachment. After I sliced them, I spread them out on a piece of parchment paper that I cut to fit on my twirly, glass, microwave plate (so that it wouldn’t get caught up as it spun around). Then, I sprayed them with the olive oil spray and sprinkled with sea salt. I microwaved them for about 4 minutes – but watch them as it gets close! When you see the edges start to curl, keep an eye on them and stop before they start getting TOO brown! It shouldn’t take any more than 5 minutes – TOPS! I took them out and let them cool for about 30 seconds. Like magic, they turned all crispy and delicious! I was stunned!

Downside: You can only make a small handful at a time this way. So it’ll probably take a total of about 20 minutes to do the whole potato…unless you figure out a clever way to do more in one batch than I did. 🙂 But for a tasty, crispy, salty snack that is practically guilt-free…this is worth a little effort!

*I am not an advocate for microwaving meals and snacks all of the time. I am sure I lost a couple of brain cells or something in the process…but I did it for science. And I’ll do it again! 🙂

sweet_pot_chips

*21 Day Fix (above recipe makes about 2 servings) – each serving is 1 yellow

 

What’s on SALE this month?

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Don’t Be Like ME!

Apr_help_wantedIt took me 4 years to jump into coaching…WHY WHY WHY did I wait so long?! If I only I could have told myself THEN, what I know now…it would go something like this:

 

Dear Old Me,
You should not wait another minute! You know that thing you’ve been considering, that looks too good to be true. It’s not. You will be SO passionate about being a coach, that you would do it for FREE…but you’ll make money anyway! Actually, you’ll make enough money in just a year and a half, to help your family take 2 vacations and open up some additional college savings accounts!

Earnings_April13-14
What could you do with an extra $1,400/month!?

Also, you know that Facebook profile picture that you’ve had up since Facebook was invented, because you HATE having your picture taken and you don’t have any others to choose from? Well, you’ll have SO much more self-confidence that you’ll not only allow pictures of yourself taken, you won’t delete them from the camera anymore, and you’ll FINALLY change that profile picture….SEVERAL times! (Also, you’ll have an entire Facebook page where you post pictures of yourself almost daily!…sometimes in just a pair of shorts and a bra top!!!)
– Somebody get the smelling salts…’Old Me’ just passed out!! –
Get this…you know those pounds that you keep packing on and can’t seem to figure out WHY? Even though you’ve run 5 marathons, you’re still not seeing the results you want to see. There are programs that will work better than anything you’ve ever tried. AND you can do them at home, and ask your friends and family members to do them with you! Your friends will workout with you, and your family members will all get RIDICULOUSLY fit! Your husband will lose like 40 pounds, because he sees you getting fit and healthy and he wants to join you! 
Remember how you were nervous you wouldn’t know what to do, or how to do it? PSH! You’ll meet such a cool bunch of people that will help you and encourage you along the way! You’ll meet new friends and have a BLAST!
Oh and by the way…you know that friend who warned you that it was a pyramid scheme…it’s NOT!!! P.S….ALL corporations are structured like pyramids!
pyramid_scheme
The only difference here, is that YOU get the opportunity to be a the top of your own pyramid! And you’ll get there by HELPING others succeed! *A little different than a traditional corporation!
Don’t wait 4 more years to jump on this opportunity! Do it today and you’ll be amazed at the many positive changes that will come from it! You’ll lose 24 pounds, gain killer confidence and help hundreds of people get fit and confident, too! It’s the most rewarding thing you’ll ever do!
What are you waiting for? There’s NO risk…if you don’t love it, you can quit, any time!! (But you WILL love it! I KNOW!!!)
Love,
The NEW Me!

I’m excited to announce another 30 Day NEW Coach Training group!

One of the reasons people hesitate to sign up is that they fear they won’t know what to do, or how to do it (I had that fear)! That’s why I run these groups for new coaches! I am going to walk you through EVERYTHING you need to go to get you up and running; building and growing your own successful coaching business!

*Sorry, not available to coaches, or anyone already working with a coach.

My next group will start on Monday, May 12.  Deadline to get signed up is Sunday, May 4. 

With consistent work, growing and building your business, you can expect your income to double every 6-12 months.

I sat on the fence for 4 years! My only regret about coaching is that I didn’t start sooner! Don’t make my mistake. If you’ve been on the fence…get OFF! If you’re ready, or just want more information, fill in the form below and we’ll talk about how you can get started, too. 🙂

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Dressed for SUCCESS!

It’s well documented that I am in love with making my own salad dressing! It’s SO easy, clean, and delicious! It really just takes a few ingredients, as opposed to the bottled dressings that list a PARAGRAPH of ingredients that almost entirely unrecognizable! This is my latest, greatest, bestest, most favoritest homemade salad dressing! This is yet another recipe from the popular 21 Day FIX program. I just modified a few of the ingredients to my taste. 🙂

 

Dijon Vinaigrette

(Makes 8 servings)

3 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. fresh lemon juice

3 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. honey

2 cloves garlic chopped

¼ t. Sea salt (I like to substitute 1/2 t. Mrs. Dash or Spike no-salt seasonings)

¼ t. ground black pepper

6 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

  1. Combine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; whisk to blend.
  2. Slowly add oil while whisking; mix well

Tip: Store leftover dressing in a covered container (I like to use Ball jars) in the fridge. I often double this recipe, because my husband likes to take some of it to work. If dressing thickens when cold, hold at room temp. for 30 minutes and stir before serving.

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Things I ❤! Thursday

Today I am LOVING our CSA farm! Do you know what CSA is? I’ve talked about it on my little blog here before, but it stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and I am a BIG fan!

stone_coop

I found out about this whole concept a few years ago and I was immediately interested! When we moved to Michigan a few years back, I was on a mission to find a farm near us where I could get involved. I found Stone Coop Farm in Brighton, Michigan – run by the 2 smartest, friendliest farmers you’ll ever know! It is clear, from the second you meet Joannée and Shannon that they are truly working their life’s passion. All of the produce, and eggs are certified organic and non-gmo. Which is becoming more and more important as we learn about the less than stellar sources for the foods we’ve been eating.

As a CSA member, you pay for a share of the farm’s harvest. So for us, that means that every week, we go to the farm and pick up our weekly share. Depending on the season, we get anywhere from 5-10 different veggies. I have been introduced to some new and exciting produce that I had never tried before. It’s kind of fun actually to cook based on what I get in my share each week. It forces me to look up new recipes and try new things! We are now hooked on kale and kohlrabi as a result of our farm share.

Of course, I’m totally spoiled too…I can hardly stand to eat a store tomato anymore! The colors and varieties of veggies are astounding! I never knew there were purple peppers and beans! Or purple and yellow carrots! Tomatoes come in so many shapes, sizes and colors, but sadly…we usually only ever see 2-3 varieties in our grocery stores. In the grocery store, we get red and round tomatoes, because they pack, stack and keep longer than the farm fresh varieties. The produce we get from grocery stores are genetically modified to look the same, keep longer for shipping and be uniformly sized and shaped so that they can be boxed and displayed efficiently. And guess what they DON’T have…TASTE!

This is going to be my third year as a ‘helping share’ member. That means that I actually work a little for the farm and in exchange, I get a discount on my share! Cool right! My “job” is to work at the local farmers’ market on the weekends and sell our beautiful produce. I like talking to the customers and ask them what they’re making to eat with the goodies they buy! I’ve gotten some pretty good ideas!

And I’ve LEARNED so much! Joannee and Shannon are a wealth of information! Our kids have gotten involved, too. We’ve taken them out to the farm to help out quite a bit. They like to hang out with the chickens and squish tomato worms – the nastiest, fattest, green caterpillar – things you’ve ever seen! And we’ve discovered that when you step on them, they pop like a tomato juice-filled water balloon! YUCK!

Anyway…I’m excited because summer is just around the corner. I just got my first of 5 spring shares that will have a lot of nice green leafy veggies that they grow in hoop houses in the dead of winter in Michigan! I’m in awe of everything they do, and I’m so proud to be a part of it! I love knowing that our food is fresh, clean, local, organic, and non-gmo. . I highly suggest supporting your local farms! If you can find a CSA – GREAT! If not, make sure you check out your local farmers markets, but ask a lot of questions! Not all booths at a farmers markets, are actual farmers…or selling food from actual farms! Get involved, and be informed!