Stacy Rody
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Gluten-Free Meal Plan

  • Chicken Crockpot Perfection! – Chicken Recipes Easy to Make!

    Chicken Crockpot Perfection – One of my Easy Chicken Recipes!

    Using the crockpot…can be a mom’s best friend especially when it comes to chicken recipes.  This is one of my go to’s for my family! I have so many ideas now and had to share what I think might be the BEST recipe ever!

    It takes only 4 hrs! You have to save this in your back pocket. You can thank me later 😉

    Crock Pot Maple Dijon Chicken Drumsticks
    from Skinnytaste.com

    Ingredients:

    8 skinless drumsticks
    1/4 cup pure Maple syrup
    2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
    1/4 cup Dijon mustard
    3/4 tsp garlic salt
    Fresh cracked pepper

    Directions:

    Season chicken with garlic salt and pepper and place in slow cooker. Combine maple, balsamic, and Dijon in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour over the legs, making sure the chicken is covered. Set to high 4 hrs and viola. Heaven on your plate!

  • Awesome Salmon Gluten-Free Dinner

    Salmon Gluten-Free Dinner

    I love have a gluten-free dinner that my whole family enjoys.  I was the queen of white bread sandwiches with the crust cut off. Doritos. Candy. Fast food. Frozen dinners. All throughout my 20’s.  As my husband started his health transformation, after our daughter was born, and I started seeing how much his nutrition made a difference, I really started finding new options.  Finding staple gluten-free options is now a priority.

    Now at 37, I don’t have time or the freedom to have my energy completely zapped from me with poor nutrition. I have fought the good fight to say bye-bye to fast food and that was a slow process! Our kids don’t even know what McDonald’s is. Extreme? Maybe, but we want them to have proper fuel just like we do. They ate this for dinner last night too! Meals like this used to be boring to me and now they are a blessing.

    Salmon Gluten-Free Dinner Recipe

    • Broiled wild salmon with Trader Joe’s garlic salt on it (7-10 minutes under a 500 degree broil).
    • The topping is a recipe from ohsheglows.com
    • One avocado
    • 1/2 cup of cilantro
    • 1-2 Tbsp lime juice
    • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
    • 1-2 Tbsp of water
    • Food process until smooth!

    So very delicious as a dip for anything! We steamed broccoli and there you have it.  A wonderful, absolutely balanced gluten-free dinner that really keeps the body happy and healthy.  Do not think that you aren’t making a difference when you put the right food in front of your family.  Their bodies will love you for it!  As the mother of the house, I really take pride in providing the best options possible, especially for my kids.  So go make your gluten-free dinner and your family will love you for it!

     

  • 22 Minute Hard Corps Test Group is Getting Serious!

    22 Minute Hard Corps Update

    22 Minute Hard Corps is now into week 4 for my husband Matt!  I am going to have him tell you all about it!

    “Wow….all I can say is WOW!!!  22 Minute Hard Corps has to be the best workout program I have ever done.  I have done Body Beast, P90X, Insanity, T25, 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, P90X2 and P90X3.  I have done half of Hammer and Chisel, got interrupted when I was rudely invited to do this test group, by corporate Beachbody!!  So here I am.  Already through an entire three weeks and I cannot believe how much my body has changed!

    I am already down 13lbs and down over 7.5 inches…..most of the loss is in my waist and chest…my two hardest areas to tone.  I have never had good definition in my abs and they are on there way to be the best I’ve ever had…..and it’s only been three weeks!!  This is an eight week program!  It is difficult though.  There are awesome modifications, so no worries there, but it is fast pace.  Tony Horton, the man, really takes this workout program to an entirely new level!!  He makes 22 Minute Hard Corps the extreme.  If you are already in shape….this will challenge you.

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    I would say I started this program in decent shape, or so I thought.  As soon as I began, I knew I was going to have to dig deeper than ever before.  I thought I could jump right through 22 minutes!  I mean common….it is only 22 minutes!!  Nope, it is awesome.  Here is a little example of one of the moves.  I could probably do 3 or 4 of these at the beginning, now I can do over 20!!

    [youtube id=”EwhJsE7Aucw”]

    This last week, my wife had to go through a 3rd surgery, the 3rd in the last 3 months!  It has been a challenging time.  The thing I always forget is that when you are doing a full body, cardio, circuit style training, you not only gain muscle, but you gain so much energy!  Energy has just gone out the roof.  I have had so much fun playing with my kids at night…we will rough house for up to 3 hours after dinner!  I used to be gassed after an hour!  22 Minute Hard Corps is really changing my life.  I am feeling so amazing!

    I also did have a slight setback…but I didn’t let that get in my way.

    [youtube id=”QHojqqDQQfE”]

    22 Minute Hard Corps Nutrition

    This is the part that I needed a lot of work on.  Prior to 22 Minute Hard Corps I had been trying to bulk.  At the beginning of 2015 I was doing Body Beast.  21 day fix, 21 day fix extreme, 21dayfix, 21dayfixextreme, 22 minute hard corps, 22 minute hard corps test group, 22 minute workout, 22minutehardcorps, alcohol, Beachbody, body beast, get some, getsome, gluten-free, Hammer and Chisel, orgain, p90x, p90x2, p90x3, Recharge, sugar, t25, tony horton, Tony Horton 22 minute hard corps, Tony Horton new workout, vega, vegan protein shake I am a tall 6’7″ man.  Getting meat on my bones has not been easy, getting fat is.  I can gain weight quickly.  I decided to really work on it all of 2015.  I did one full round of Body Beast, then almost all the way through a second round.  After that I began doing a lot of circuit training with heavier weights.  This meant one main thing.  Food and lots of it!  Definitely mostly healthy but definitely not perfect.  I was averaging between 3500-4500 calories a day.

    With 22 Minute Hard Corps I have lowered my calorie count to around 2400-2500 per day.  I am having a ratio of 1:1 protein to my weight, higher fat and middle of the road carbohydrates.  I have Shakeology (learn more about it here) once a day, sometimes twice depending on how busy I am.  I really do mix macros and 21 Day Fix food containers.  It is a perfect balance.  The nutrition is so very important to me.  I am having only natural sugars through some fresh fruit and occasional dry fruit.  I am not drinking alcohol right now.  There comes a point when you just want to see what your body is capable of and how it will react.  I am trying to eat six meals a day.  I try to keep my yellow containers to no later than 4:00PM.

    This is also the part that I have to have the most discipline with.  Late night snacking has always been an issue for me.  Through this time I will only have Recharge (learn more about it here), an amazing Beachbody supplement or a Vegan protein shake.  I do have whey protein as well, but very minimally.  I use both Vega and Orgain protein powders.  I tend to stay away from animal products because I am having a decent amount of meat.  I always try to have greens with my meat, the fiber will help with digestion.  I also have a staple kale dish I have almost everyday.  I am continually tweaking it.

    22 Minute Hard Corps Continues

    I can’t wait for Stacy to join me.  I know she would be doing far better than me at this point.  Her crazy physical craziness, (you can read about it here, and here) have really taken a tole on her and I can’t wait for her to be back at it!  I need my partner keeping me focused!  I have one of the workouts down fully.  I can do every move all the way through and am now cutting out some of the rest times….don’t worry, their not very long!  I still modify pull ups and chin ups, since I still can only do a few.  It is fun to see the progression!  It is amazing to be in a challenge group, where everyone posts and we are all a team, focused on getting results!

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    I am also taking emails!  If you are interested at all in doing 22 Minute Hard Corps, it will be available in March, I would love to get you in a group, so that I can notify you of it’s release as soon as it comes out!  So comment on this post or better yet email us at [email protected] and put in the subject line “GETSOME”!  That is the official hashtag of this program!  Stacy and I look forward to going through this process with you!!

  • Baked Sweet Potatoes and Garlic Aioli Mustard!

    Baked Sweet Potatoes

    Baked sweet potatoes are quite possibly one of my favorite foods.  I absolutely love them.  Actually, my entire family absolutely loves them.  My kids will actually ask for them.  Are you kidding me?!  Baked sweet potatoes?  Who knew?!  Well they are now a staple in our house.  And what makes them the best ever, garlic aioli mustard from Trader Joe’s.  This garlic aioli is a staple in our house.  We will use it with meat, on sandwiches and with every kind of vegetable.  It’s delicious.

    Now, let us delve a bit deeper into why I love having family eat baked sweet potatoes.  When looking at the benefits of vegetables and fruits I eat, I go to organicfacts.net.  They have a ton of information on everything healthy.  Some of the main areas that sweet potatoes help with are:

    1. Inflammation: Like the common potato, sweet potatoes also have anti-inflammatory properties.  They do not belong to the same family as common potato.  This is primarily due to the presence of beta-carotene, vitamin-C and magnesium.  It is equally effective in curing internal and external inflammation.
    2. Asthma: Sweet potatoes are effective for curing congestion of the nose, bronchi and lungs, thereby giving relief from asthma.  Its typical aroma helps in this property.
    3. Immune System: Being very rich in beta carotene, which is a major antioxidant, along with vitamin-C and B-complex vitamins, iron and phosphorus, sweet potatoes are excellent immune system boosters.  They can defend your body from a wide variety of conditions and afflictions.baked sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, gluten-free meal prep
    4. Bronchitis: The concentration of vitamin-C, iron and other nutrients help to cure bronchitis.  Sweet potatoes are believed to be capable of warming up the body, possibly due to the sweetness and other nutrients that impact body temperature.  This property is also beneficial for people suffering from bronchitis, along with its powerful effect on congestion.
    5. Digestion: The fiber content of sweet potatoes is higher than common potatoes and they taste good too!  When these two factors are combined with other minerals like magnesium, which is present in sweet potatoes, it makes an excellent facilitator for digestion.  Sweet potatoes are easy to digest as well, since they mainly contain starch.  They are soothing for the stomach and intestines, so you will avoid any difficulties of passing or digesting them.
    6. Cancer: Beta-carotene, the champion antioxidant and anticarcinogenic substance, is the pigment responsible for the color of the peel of the sweet potatoes.  The beta carotene and vitamin-C contained in sweet potatoes are very beneficial for curing various types of cancer, mainly those of the colon, intestines, prostrate, kidneys and other internal organs.
    7. Arthritis: Beta-carotene, zinc,magnesium, and vitamin-B complex make sweet potatoes a hugely important food source for managing arthritis. The water where sweet potatoes are boiled can also be applied externally on joints to ease the associated pain of arthritis.
    8. Diabetes: Sweet potatoes are beneficial for diabetics. They are very effective in regulating blood sugar levels by helping the proper secretion and function of insulin. That does not mean that diabetics should eat them indiscriminately. The idea is that sweet potatoes can replace rice or carbohydrate intake as a healthier option.
    9. Water Balance: The fiber or roughage present in sweet potatoes helps the body retain water. This maintains water balance in the body, keeping your hydrated and your cells functioning efficiently.
    10. Stomach Ulcers: Sweet potatoes have a soothing effect on the stomach and the intestines.  B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, beta carotene, potassium and calcium are all very effective in curing stomach ulcers. Moreover, the roughage in sweet potatoes prevents constipation and the resultant acid formation, thereby reducing the chance of ulcers. The anti-inflammatory and soothing properties of sweet potatoes also reduce the pain and inflammation of the ulcers.
    11. Weight Gain: This benefit is pretty awesome and my husband loves it when trying to bulk. Sweet potatoes are sweet, and they contain very quality amounts of complex starch, along with healthy vitamins, minerals and some proteins. Moreover, they are very easy to digest. So, they provide a lot of energy and are excellent bulk builders for people looking to gain weight.  People who have recently suffered from illnesses, or are self-conscious about being frail or abnormally thin should welcome this news about sweet potatoes, since there are no associated side effects, which most of the synthetic bulk building dietary supplements have.
    12. Other Benefits:  They are effective for helping people quit addictions like smoking, drinking and taking certain narcotics. They are good for the health of the arteries and veins, as they protect their walls against hardening. The high concentration of beta carotene (an alternative form of vitamin-A) and phosphorus are excellent for both ocular and cardiac health.baked sweet potatoes, gluten-free meal prep

    This recipe is from the Fixate cookbook. If you have some sweet potatoes handy, I’d throw them in the oven and make these tonight. ?

    • Cut in thin round pieces
    • Drizzle with olive oil
    • Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper

    Bake at 200 degrees on parchment paper for 2-3 hours until crisp.

    This mustard makes the perfect dipping sauce and is a “free food” on the meal plan.  So go make up some baked sweet potatoes and do yourself a favor.

  • Gluten-Free Meal Plan for the kids!

    Gluten-Free Meal Plan

    Gluten-free meal plan prep has become a way of life for our family.  With myself and my daughter, highly gluten intolerant, we really have to be careful.  I wanted to show you an example of what I have given my daughter.  Practicing packing lunches for my kindergartener and I think this combo might be a hit!  Here is what I packed for her, food items I use all the time:

    • Organic Sausage
    • Almonds
    • Carrots
    • Raspberry
    • Cantolope
    • Black Bean BBQ Organic Chips
    • Hummus

    These items really are part of my gluten-free meal plan.  Now to get frilly toothpicks because these plain ones just won’t do. I love going the extra mile to treat my little girl like a lady.  She is only small once, I will never get this opportunity again. 😉

    This gluten-free meal plan list, is really just a mix and match.  These are the main foods I give my kids.  I really stay basic and consistent.  I don’t really make it a big list.  My kids hardly ever have soda, and have never had fast food.  That is not to brag, we just don’t have those things as a family and we educate our kids on why.  We also keep our meals simple.  We have found they love all these food items probably because we just have not introduced them to the junk that we had before we got healthy.

    • Oranges
    • Bananas
    • Chicken (Organic breast and thighs from Costco)
    • Tacos (gluten-free tortilla shells, ground turkey, lettuce, home made guacamole, salsa, green onions, romain lettuce, yogurt, and black beens.)
    • Grapes
    • Eggs
    • Spinach/Kale/Lettuce
    • Dried Fruit
    • Fish of any kind
    • Gluten-Free Toast – we love Udis or Rudis.
    • Organic Peanut Butter
    • Vegan Chocolate Chips (the kids love these, we get them at a co-op near where we live.)
    • Organic Fruit Snacks (Costco has some bulk options)
    • Any vegetable!!
    • Pamela’s Gluten-Free Pancake Mix (My husband makes pancakes once a week, but only uses about half a cup of mix and includes 7 to 8 eggs.  He calls them his “protein pancakes”.  It is probably the kids favorite meal.)
    • Broccoli (it is a staple and our most eaten vegetable.  Just steamed with a little himalayan salt.)
    • Coconut Chips (I already have a write up on these.  Love them!)
    • Shakeology (Yep, they have it everyday….I practice what I preach!)

    I will continue to add to this list.  But our gluten-free meal plan is simple.  Take basic healthy foods and have our kids eat them consistently.  (Here is another lunch idea I posted.)  We don’t keep them from eating junk occasionaly, but their main treats are included above.  Literally this is the list we eat from 5 to 6 days a week.  My husband BBQs chicken every week, he makes a braised leafy green and egg mix every day, which he shares with our son.  It is crazy how well our kids eat and mostly it is because we share what we eat with them.  We just all eat the same thing.  No one gets different food at dinner.

    So be encouraged and make your own gluten-free meal plan.  It is not hard, but you have to be consistent with your kids and you need to eat it with them.  We can’t expect our kids to eat things we aren’t willing to eat.  Oh and I also give them gluten-free waffles for breakfast occasionally!  Anyways, I hope this helps, please share your ideas….I need all the help I can get!

     

     

  • Zucchini Noodles and Meatballs – Gluten-Free Dinner!

    Zucchini Noodles

    Zucchini Noodles make an amazing gluten-free dinner!! My bestie made it for me and I not only want her cute white dishes, I could have this meal weekly. Trying new dishes with friends is amazing.  My cousin, who was my maid of honor in my wedding and my best friend has lost a bunch of weight in the last few months.  This is one of the main reasons why.  Having things like zucchini noodles is a huge part of the process in getting healthy.  Not that she can’t have normal noodles, but keeping away from carbs, that are very starchy and dense, has been key in her transformation.

    Gluten-free Dinner

    You do need a spiral veggie cutter. Veggetti was what we used. $12 bucks and it’s small and easy to store.  Zucchini Noodles are easy to make and can be used in tons of different dishes.  My kids will eat them…which is huge!  Here’s a little excerpt from Organic Facts about zucchini,

    “Zucchini is well known to reduce weight, yet still boosting the nutrient value of your diet. Moreover, it helps to promote eye health, and prevents all the diseases that occur from vitamin C deficiency like scurvy, sclerosis, and easy bruising. It helps to cure asthma and has a high content of vitamin C, carbohydrates, protein and fiber. Zucchini contains significant quantities of potassium, folate, and vitamin A, all of which are important for general good health. Zucchini, when eaten regularly, can effectively lower your homocysteine levels.”

    So as you can see…..add zucchini into your diet as much as possible!  You can’t go wrong….now onto what we had for dinner.

    • What she threw in:
    • Organic marinara sauce from Trader Joe’s, heated
    • Aidell’s Italian meatballs, browned
    • Zucchini noodles, boiled for 2-3 min.
    • Salt & Pepper

    We did mix some gluten-free noodles we had made for the kids in with our zucchini noodles.  It is amazing how good something can taste, even when it is not what you think it should be.  Never, once when I was growing up, do I remember having zucchini noodles!

    The salad is:
    Green onions
    Mixed greens
    Avocado

    Feel free to use this for a 21 Day Fix Meal!  And remember, add zucchini noodles into your meal plan as much as possible!
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  • Shakeology Ingredients – What is in Shakeology?

    Shakeology Ingredients

    A Healthy Meal Replacement. This is what Beachbody claims with a nutritional dose of 70 plus ingredients, which include 23 vitamins and minerals. But, what about the Shakeology Ingredients? This Shakeology is more than just a “protein shake”. Throughout the following, we will take an in depth look at all of the Shakeology Ingredients listed on the bag, and examine what they do for you whether good or bad.shakeology ingredients, what is in shakeology, nutrition label

    First, here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to understanding the Shakeology Ingredients:

    • We will be using the nutrition label of the Chocolate Flavor Shakeology ingredients (click here to see the nutrition label).  I want to use the “whey” based blend, because it is very popular and if you remove the “whey”, you have the vegan blend, with additional vegan proteins to replace the “whey”.  (I personally have the vegan blend, click here to see the nutrition label.
    • We are going to start with the ingredients after the typical nutrition facts (calories, carbs, protein, and vitamins). This means we will begin with Folic acid and Biotin. We will then dig into the Proprietary Superfoods, along with the “other ingredients” listed on the label.

    Remember, this post is a little unique. Usually I am all about family, workouts, health and nutrition, goal setting, but I really want you to know about the Shakeology Ingredients.  My goal is to help you understand what the ingredients are and how (and IF) they can benefit you.   As you may know from some of my other posts I am gluten-free.  I have been drinking Shakeology for over 3 years now, as well as my husband.  I also had it throughout my pregnancy with my son daily.  I proceeded to have it throughout the next two years while I was breastfeeding my son.  Not once did I have any side effects that were negative.  We now all have it daily.  My husband, daughter, son and myself.  So, let’s take a look and break down the Shakeology Ingredients.

     

    Shakeology Ingredients – The daily Ingredients

    These are sort of  “daily ingredients”, they are still hard to understand. These are nutritional ingredients are so important to have every single day.  You may have seen these before in other foods, but here is what they do and why they are important for your health.

    • Folic Acid (50% of DV): This ingredient can also be referred to as Vitamin M or B9. Folic acid has many benefits including: Stroke reduction, Sperm Quality (in males, helps reduce chromosomal defects in sperm), Macular Degeneration (In Fact, a study was completed where women have reduced potential for degeneration by 34.7%).
    • Biotin (30% of DV): Also know as Vitamin H. Biotin’s primary purpose is to help break down fatty cells and help metabolism (fat burner, which we all need!)
    • Chromium (50% of DV): Chromium enhances the production of insulin in your body. Insulin helps with the metabolism and storage of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in your body. This in turn can help regulate potential for diabetes and speed up that metabolism.
    • Molybdenum (40% of DV): Similar to phosphorus, this ingredient helps strengthen tooth enamel and helps prevent tooth decay. A great reason to have this ingredient in your kids diet as well!
    • Pantothenic acid (50% of DV): This ingredient (Vitamin B5) helps with oxygen utilization efficiency. What does that mean? It helps fuel oxygen to your muscles, which reduces muscle soreness and aches.
    • Zinc (40% of DV): this is a great ingredient and supplement you should always have. Zinc is beneficial for your immune system. Better than that, it helps decrease the acceleration of skin and muscle aging. Not only that, it can be beneficial for your digestive trac (with proven abilities to reduce and eliminate diarrhea episodes, according to Bhutta, 2000).
    • Phosphorous (25% of DV): Having this ingredient daily can help strengthen tooth enamel. This leads to stronger teeth and prevention of early tooth decay.
    • Iodine (35% of DV): This ingredient is widely known to help with your thyroid. But not only that, iodine is beneficial for breast, stomach, brain, and other important tissues. Not having enough (or having TOO much) can cause problems for these vital tissues (source here).
    • Magnesium (20% of DV): magnesium helps regulates blood sugar, and keeps heart rhythm running, strong bones, and your immune system in check.
    • Copper (40% of DV): not having enough copper in your diet can lead towards deficiencies such as osteoporosis, infections, and glucose problems. Copper ingests into your liver and spreads through your bloodstream to regulate your blood sugar and benefit your bones and glucose levels significantly.
    • Manganese (100% of DV): one of the awesome Shakeology ingredients that helps your body properly digest and collaborate with other ingredients like zinc, copper, and iron better. Manganese has been seen helping treat things like:  diabetes, Schizophrenics, Rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, asthma, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, (find out more here). A powerful ingredient that gives you 100% of your daily value in one serving of Shakeology.

    As you can see, even the “daily” foundation of Shakeology Ingredients are very much needed, fast food won’t get you those! So the big question is: Why can’t we just eat healthy and get these? You can! The only thing you should consider is the price. To match the serving of all of these ingredients in everyday food will cost you more than a $4.33 serving of Shakeology.

    Next we will explore the Best Superfoods.  We will delve deeper into the specific Proprietary Shakeology ingredients.

    Shakeology Ingredients – The Best Superfoods

    • Shakeology Ingredients supplementsProprietary Protein Blend: Proteins are important for mental clarity, lean muscle building, improving skin and hair, and reducing cravings. The proprietary superfoods in this blend include: Whey, Sacha Inchi, Chia, Flax, Quinoa, Amaranth, Brown Rice, Pea.
    • Proprietary Super-Fruit/Antioxidant Blend: promotes antioxidant support for a healthy immune system, heart, and optimal blood pressure. The proprietary superfoods in this blend include: Camu-Camu, Acai, Acerola Cherry, Bilberry, Goji Berry, Grape Seed, Green Tea, Lun Hao Guo, Pomegranate, Rose Hips.
    • Proprietary Super-Green/Phytonutrient Blend: This is an interesting blend of the Shakeology ingredients, mainly because of what it can do. It detoxifies! The liver, kidneys, and blood get detoxification benefits that restore health and vitality. Superfoods in this blend include: Moringa, Chlorella, Spirulina, Spinach, Barley Grass, Kamut Grass, Wheat Grass, Oat Grass.
    • Proprietary Adaptogen Blend: this helps protect the body from stress, supports the immune system, and balances the endocrine system. Superfoods that support this blend include: Ashwagandha, Astragalus, Cordyceps, Ginkgo, Maca, Maitake, Reishi, Schisandra, Tulsi (Holy Basil).
    • Proprietary Pre- and Probiotic/Digestive Enzyme Blend: helps increase nutrition absorption, promotes regularity, and improves digestion. Superfoods in this blend include: Yacon Root, Lactobacillus Sporogenes, Amylase, Cellulase, Lactase, Lipase, Protease, Bromelain, Papain.

    Shakeology Ingredients – The “Other” Ingredients

    Ingredients to any foods are good to look at on a normal basis. You never know what lies beneath until you turn over to the nutrition label and look at the bottom. Let’s look at the “other” ingredients listed on the Shakeology bag, and what they mean, and if they are bad for you.

    • Natural Sweetener Blend (Non-GMO Fructose, Stevia): this is where the 6 grams of sugar in each serving come from. But unlike other “diet” and health shakes that used the cursed “Aspartame”, Shakeology has NO aspartame and uses Stevia. Stevia is found in sunflower family of sweetleaf and sugarleaf. The sweetness ends up being 300 times more sweet than artificial flavorings. The best part is, it controls diet by giving you less carbs and less chance of disease and study-proven cancer like Aspartame.
    • Natural Chocolate Flavor: this means that the flavor of chocolate is derived from a cacao plant, which produces natural cocoa.
    • Xanthan Gum: this ingredient is in a good number of food we eat (along with Guar Gum). This is basically a laxitive ingredient that helps with food thickening.  Find out more about this ingredient here.
    • Guar Gum: according to Wikipedia, this gum can help with digestion and regularity. It has a significant amount of soluble fiber which helps promote this effort, and is used for most foods to thicken appearance. Again, I couldn’t find anything too risky on this ingredient either.

    Shakeology Ingredients – Good or Bad?

    So here we are.  You have now been given a pretty sufficient breakdown of the Shakeology Ingredients.  They are not perfect as is nothing.  As a gluten-free mom of two, this is the best meal replacement supplement I have found.  I stand by it, not just because I am a coach, but because my family has seen so many benefits over the last 3 years.  Being gluten-free has gotten easier as our culture has found so many allergies relating to it, Shakeology has never affected me negatively.

    It is gluten-free, making it the best possible option for my entire family.  Personally, we prefer the Vegan Chocolate Shakeology or the Tropical Vegan Shakeology.  I prefer to get my animal based protien through other sources than whey.  This is my personal opinion only.

    Getting all of these ingredients in your daily diet would cost you a whole lot of money. It would be incredibly expensive because many of the items must be bought in bulk and you would have to buy them in their perishable form.  By going through and finding each of the 70 plus ingredients it would be around $1256.40 per month, at $41.88 per day. One serving of Shakeology is around $4.33 or $129.95 per month.

    If you are like me and are serious about your health, take the first step and talk with me.  You do not do this on your own.  I am a fitness coach, a person that genuinely loves helping others.  I want you to reach your goals.  I want to walk along side you through the good and the bad.   So, take the first step and fill out some basic info here, and let’s begin this incredible journey towards getting in the best shape of our lives!

  • Creamy Garlic Dressing – Gluten-Free Dressing – 21 Day Fix Approved!!

    Creamy Garlic Dressing

     

    It’s food prep day for a lot of us and a gluten-free dressing is the perfect option, better yet, creamy garlic dressing! I love spending just 1-2 hours on Sunday’s making simple foods to have on hand for the week.  I am always looking for better ways to take care of my family.  I am also always looking for gluten-free options.  There is gluten in so much more than we think and I have felt the affects of not knowing I was eating gluten, when I actually was.  One of the big culprits can be salad dressings.  My husband went through a 21 Day cleanse back in 2012, called the The Ultimate Reset, and this little gem made it a lot easier for him.  It called for a ton of salads and this was his dressing of choice.

    Finding out I needed to go gluten-free during that time, I started going crazy on nutrition label reading.  This one was about as simple as they come!  I made it for him the first time and we were both in love.  Shoot, my kids even love it!  I never even thought about making a creamy garlic dressing, but this is the magic one!  I have to give my husband credit for going through The Ultimate Reset.  We actually gained an amazing amount of knowledge from those 21 days.  So know that this creamy garlic dressing is absolutely healthy in every way and delicious.  A great cookbook I use is Fixate.  She is the creator of 21 Day Fix and has a ton of awesome recipes like this.

    Here is one of my all time favorite homemade salad dressings:

    Creamy Garlic Dressing Recipe:

    1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

    1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

    3-5 cloves garlic, crushed

    3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

    2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

    1 tsp Himalayan salt

    1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

    1 Tbsp honey or agave

    creamy garlic dressing - gluten-free dressing is awesome

    Blend for 30 seconds or until well mixed. Store in refrigerator and warm to room temp to shake and serve. Makes 8-10 servings.

    Great with a little balsamic as a combo dressing. I also have a lot of clients that do the workouts and meal plan with 21 Day Fix.  This creamy garlic dressing is absolutely great to use with that program and pretty much for anything.  It is vegan and if you buy organic, you can’t really get a more pure dressing.  Enjoy!

    Garlic Creamy Dressing Courtesy of The Ultimate Reset

  • How to Better Yourself? Learn From Friends!

    How To Better Yourself

    I ask myself all the time, how to better yourself.  My gorgeous friend Jessica has taught me so much about eating clean! We celebrated her baby girl due next month today and it got me thinking………??

    This woman makes most things from scratch and it’s always beyond delicious. She also makes very healthy food this way.  It is amazing how she makes something taste so good, that I have conceived as being “not very good.”  Does she have the “time”? No, she is a full-time midwife, that busts her butt all the time helping other mothers, but she does it anyways because she appreciates quality food.  She is someone I can look up to and strive to become!

    When you really look at how long it takes to make things from scratch, I’ve realized it’s not as complicated as I used to think. It just takes a little extra planning.  I also have to be creative and I have to stop making excuses.  Over the last few years I have really gotten some staple recipes that my family loves.

    Food doesn’t have to be fried, dipped, battered, and overly sweet to taste amazing.  It doesn’t have to have a bunch of sugar or tons of salt.  It doesn’t need “cream of….” anything!  It for sure doesn’t have to have a bunch of dairy either, (though I won’t lie, I will never go without butter totally;)

    It can be simple and fresh.

    Sometimes it just helps to have someone make it look easy and you gain confidence in knowing that you too can create amazing things in a short amount of time.  Thanks so much Jess for all that you do and all that you are!  Baby Hazel is about to receive the best gift a child could have, her loving mother.  Thank you for being such an amazing friend and for pouring so much love into my life.  You are such a blessing!  Remember, never stop learning how to better yourself.

     

  • Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas! Veggie Soup on the Go!!

    Gluten-Free Lunch Ideas

    Being gluten-free, I am always looking for gluten-free lunch ideas.  I am going to be consistently looking for more an more simple ideas, that you can buy while on the go.  I find that almost anyone can make gluten-free lunch ideas at home….but what about at work or while out with the kids.  Here is one I love!

    Veggies are so hard to get in when life is crazy busy. We live by eating whatever is in front of us in this fast paced life.  Fall ?and Winter❄ are so great for soup and you can hide tons of veggies in a yummy way.  The other reason I love it?  My kids will eat it!  You can’t beat that!  Finding food that my kids will eat that is healthy for them, on the go, is a win-win in my book.

    This is a hearty veggie soup with kale, carrots, potatoes. Yum!!!!!  It is at Metropolitan Market.  This is one of my all time favorite grocery stores.  They have all kinds of unique items.  The market actually labels which soups are gluten-free.  It is so nice to quickly jump in the store, pick up what I need and then pay and get back in the car, within five minutes.

    Do be careful.  A lot of the canned soups are not that healthy and can have hidden junk in them.  Make sure to always read the labels.  A lot of gluten-free items are made with quality ingredients, but I am seeing a trend of more and more that are not good.  It seems like we can never get away from the junk!  So, I will continually search for gluten-free lunch ideas.

    Do you have a favorite “go to” soup? I would love to hear it!!  This time a year, I start making them weekly.  They are great to have for leftovers.  Comment with a recipe of the one you can’t live without!