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Apr 13 2016 
The LOVE/HATE Relationship of Food Prep!
•I Love Food Prep • I Hate Food Prep•
Okay maybe I hate food prep a little more than I want to admit, but it’s so worth having it done. I’m happy when I have fast healthy choices for me and the family.
Here’s what I just did:
✅ Cut and washed the romaine and kale.
✅ Cooked two types of organic sausages.
✅ Prepped the taco meat and used one package ground turkey mixed with one package ground turkey breast.
✅ Baked paleo pumpkin muffins for the kids breakfast and before bed snack if they are begging for more food ? (recipe on my Instagram)
Here’s our menu for the week:
Monday: Tacos
Tuesday: Roasted brussel sprouts and almond flour breaded chicken tenders with Fixate Cookbook, honey mustard dressing dip
Wednesday: Kale salad and sausages
Thursday: Udi’s GF cheese pizza (my late work night) with green beans
Friday: Sweet potato fries and leftovers of their choice. We usually do popcorn for our movie night, too!
Now to enjoy my strawberry, goat cheese, walnut salad..???#phew#foodprep
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Jan 13 2016 
Clean Eating….Making a Great Transformation Tuesday!
Clean Eating = Transformation Tuesday
Clean eating is all about the discipline of my mind. It is a battle. I fight me every day, all the time. Today’s battle? Kombucha or Wine? I’m going with Kombucha ? I win!!!! I started a clean eating group this last Monday with an amazing group of women. We decided that we would make clean eating a discipline. That we would make it a focus to not allow ourselves to make choices we regret. We would bring in a collective of clean recipes, ideas and accountability.
Last week in our 5 day clean eating group, I had 19 of the women share how much weight they had loss. There was a total of 108.5 lbs lost as a group!!!!!! Are you kidding me?!! That was 5.7 lbs per person. I don’t have enough exclamation points for this post! ? That is why clean eating and watching your sugars and alcohols pays off. If you were one of the girls who joined us, thank you and✋ high five! ??#girlbosses #onamission
We have monthly clean eating groups. They are five days, they are organized and allow you to really get a whole bunch of ideas to learn more about what it is to eat clean. This January we have 201 women participating! It is so amazing! Sharing so much information is just awesome and it allows everyone to get a feel what works for a collaborative of people.
Don’t miss out! We love helping each other. Feel free to comment here, or reach out to me on Facebook! Looking forward to connecting and helping you learn more about clean eating and the joy that it can bring into your life and the life of your family!
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Jan 12 2016 
Protein Pancake Recipe! Gluten-Free of Course!
Protein Pancake Recipe
This protein pancake recipe is fantastic. It is absolutely perfect for a yummy weekend breakfast or perhaps a fun breakfast for dinner idea? A great way to get some protein with your carbs. These pancakes are packed with protein and will be perfect for getting the kiddos full with a healthy meal! Matt took the original recipe on the back of the pancake mix package and changed it up. He said it took him about 10 tries before he finally found the right measurements. We will have these any time! When you are gluten-free it is nice having something like this, because literally, they taste better than buttermilk pancakes. A lot of time they come as gluten-free lunch ideas! So don’t just think they are a breakfast specialty…they’re not.
Here’s chef Matt’s signature Protein Pancake Recipe:
- Heat pan to med-high with 1 Tbsp of avocado oil
- 1/4- 1/2 cup Pamela’s gluten-free pancake baking mix
- Match the amount of water to the amount of Pamela’s you used
- Wisk in 6-8 eggs
- Add 1-2 Tbsp of avocado oil.
Makes enough for our family of 4. The kids love them so it fills them up the whole morning. Perfect if you have a busy Saturday!! I love the fluffy egginess (is that a word;)?) Sometimes a protein pancake recipe comes from just experimenting!
Enjoy!
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Jan 03 2016 
Meal Prep, It’s Soooo Important!
Meal Prep Monday!
Just got done with our meal prep! The hubby started his Test Group for 22 Minute Hard Corps today. I’m doing 5 days of clean eating with my girls!! Here’s the meals we are rocking for a few days:
?Baked butternut squash 1-?
? Steamed broccoli 1-?
? Broiled chicken 2- ❤ red containers
Shakeology is a protein (❤) and avocado, cheese or hummus is a healthy fats (?)
Meal prep was not always easy and still isn’t. It is a learned discipline and I still fight it. I don’t want to prep meals for the whole week, but I know that I, and my family, have a good chance at failing if I don’t put in the work on Sunday! So, I meal prep…no matter what. Sometimes my husband helps me, other times, he takes down Christmas decorations like this time! We try to work together and be productive.
I really think it has helped my husband a lot. Meal prep really sets the tone for him, so that he doesn’t snack. It also keeps me from going to the grocery store and buying a ton of items that are not on my list. It keeps me focused. Using the little containers with the three slots really helps too. I know I need a high dense carb, a nutrient filled vegetable, and some serious protein. I get the containers on Amazon, here is the link! The grocery store’s got nothing on me! I come prepared.
Here is my husband, Matt, taking us through what we bought at the store.
[youtube id=”LkrC3qCoRIw”]
I Hate, with a capital “H”, counting calories so thinking of food in colors is way more up my alley. Love this!!! Go get your meal prep done and feel good about the week ahead. Don’t procrastinate, or it will hurt your goals. This is a hard lesson I had to learn, but it has made all the difference, not only my life, but my family’s as well!
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Dec 27 2015 
Great Tool for Making Zucchini Noodles!
Making Zucchini Noodles!
Zucchini Noodles or other nutritious fillers, are such an important part of our weekly meal planning. They are nutritious, filling and the kids eat them!!!! I can hide them in all kind of different sauces.
It’s so awesome when your sis and mom-in-law celebrate health, too! These two little items were presents this Christmas!
Since 80% of your results come from proper nutrition with your workouts, upping your veggie game is paramount??????
Check out my new zucchini noodles maker, the Veggetti! It’s small so I don’t have to store a big appliance. Yay!!
This Ball salad jar has a handy-dandy dressing container the fits right into the lid. Awesome-sauce!!!!!! The brand is BNTO by cuppow.
Project slim tummy for 2016 is already in full effect! Don’t wait till January 4th to start making healthy decisions. Do it now, have things like zucchini noodles, squash, and what not and find ways to make it easy like the Veggetti!
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Nov 26 2015 
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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Nov 25 2015 
Turkey Chili Recipe! My Family’s Favorite!
Turkey Chili Recipe
When the wind starts blowing, the weather turns grey and the rain starts pattering outside it is time to bring out my turkey chili recipe! ? ?☔??☁ It is easy for me to start packing on the pounds at this time of year, so having the right food in my refrigerator is so important. You can throw so many different nutrient rich ingredients into turkey chili. It also fills you up for a long time and my kids eat it, which is a major bonus!
Since it’s a busy day with kiddos and friends, a turkey chili recipe fits the bill for dinner! This turkey chili recipe is from the Fix Extreme cookbook and is delish! I love having a cookbook with so many healthy choices.
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
- 1 med onion, chopped
- 1 med green bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbs chili powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cans black or pinto beans, rinsed
- 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes ( I like Muir Glen brand)
- 12 fresh cilantro sprigs as garnish
- Heat oil in saucepan.
- Add turkey, onion, pepper, and garlic to cook.
- Once browned, add spices and stir for one minute.
- Add beans and tomatoes. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve warm and for an extra ❤red container, top with Greek yogurt. Yum!
What are you eating tonight?
So, as you get prepared for the holidays and are looking to have a great leftover in the refrigerator, this turkey chili recipe is a great option. Let me know what you think when you try it out. And feel free to add any other items you want, as long as they are healthy! One last thing, if you have any homemade turkey chili recipe, that you love, feel free to share!?
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Nov 20 2015 
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!
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Sep 21 2015 
Paleo and Gluten-Free Meal Plan!
Gluten-free meal plan? Paleo? I don’t need any of that stuff…. little did I know. It feels like yesterday that I was pregnant with my baby boy and this sweet girl and I would roam around town doing whatever we wanted. We mainly ended up at a Starbucks because we’d split a Chonga bagel as our snack. Almost every day. I am a licensed esthetician and I worked right up the road from a wonderful little restaurant! It was called Taco Time! Yep, one of my favorite fast food stops. I would get done with a client, go grab a couple crispy burritos, a Coke and head back to work.
My second pregnancy was much harder and I couldn’t figure out why. Bloated, tired, swollen are words I used often. I would talk to my midwife and chiropractor and a few times they both said to me, “sounds like a gluten allergy.”
I obviously didn’t want to hear that because the thought of going “gluten-free” sounded so overwhelming. So intense. Plus, breaking up with the Chonga bagel and fast food was overwhelming to consider while pregnant. So I did what any other busy mom would do. I waited until conditions worsened. ☺Baby girl had a diaper rash that would not leave and my hand eczema was getting more intense. I remember having that full, swollen feeling during my #HIIT workouts, too. Jumping would hurt.
Immediately my doctor took us both off gluten as soon as she saw our conditions. She saw the writing on the wall instantly. If I snuck some bread or pizza after I had cut gluten out, I would look 5 months pregnant again almost instantly. ?? It was time for a gluten-free meal plan!
I share this to tell you that living this lifestyle has helped my fitness results a TON!! I’ve learned to pre-plan before parties and events because I can’t eat most of the food there. I am forced to eat more whole foods because processed and packaged foods usually make me feel yuck. It also keeps me away from maple bars ?!!
GLUTEN-FREE MEAL PLAN AND FREE GROUP!
I run groups on Facebook all the time. This free, 5 day #Paleo and gluten-free meal plan group is one I run on a continual basis. You’ll have a sneak peek into the foods we eat, new recipes for you to try and hopefully pick up a new habit or meal idea.
It’s a free private group you’ll have access to so go to this LINK and fill out your info! Remember to invite a friend. The gluten-free meal plan can always use new ideas! The more the merrier!
#mealplan #newideas #health #byebyebloat
It’s gonna be fun!!!?????? -
Sep 15 2015 
Healthy Gluten-Free Lunch for the Kiddos!
A Kid Friendly Gluten-Free Lunch
Oh school….how I miss my baby girl! She is in all day kindergarten and I have to come up a gluten-free lunch everyday. It has killed me to not hear her beautiful melodic voice throughout the house during the day. To watch her color a drawing, running over to me to have me give her approval, then squealing with joy when I say I love it. I will miss watching her mumble to herself as she plays with her toys, in her own little creative world. I will miss those feet stomping through the house as she is focused on finding this or that. Okay…enough of my mommy depression!! 😉
After about two weeks of gluten-free lunch packing, I have gotten a bit better. Here is a look into what Sam eats:
Applegate roasted turkey
Van’s gluten-free cheese crackers
Strawberries and CucumbersBut the best part is……..frilly toothpicks! They make it more fun. Finding those little things that make it special are Sam and my special little bond. She loves those little things as much as me! My husband just roles his eyes, but it is so amazing to see that little sparkle in her eyes. She has even mentioned it when she gets home after the long day. It makes it so worth it!
Oh, and she’s a true girl which means a little dark chocolate to get her thru the day ???
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