Do something for YOU

Have you stopped working on your New Years resolutions already? There's nothing to be ashamed of. I'd guess about 90% of people who made resolutions have given up by now.

But does that mean we've stopped wanting what we wanted in the first place? NO!
Of course not!

So are you still dreaming about a bikini body?

If so, stop waiting! Do something about it. It's okay if your goals didn't pan out and all your plans fell through. Get some help! There is nothing wrong with getting a health coach and starting a program. They WORK! 

If you think you're ready to have some structure to help you succeed, let's chat. 

Are you ready to join one of my challenge groups? Fill out this form to help me determine which group would be best for you!

Stephanie

I had to do a little post about my friend Stephanie! This lady motivates me all the time, and I'm HER coach :) ! She is a great woman, with a big heart and the desire to help others. She has three fur babies, and a husband. I met her at church, and I remember always watching her and wanting to be her friend. I saw her as happy and positive. It's funny how we never know what's going on inside someone. I had no idea she was struggling. But when I gained confidence myself, I decided to stop being shy and just try to be friends with her! I sound like such a nerd, but this is really how I am. Making friends doesn't come naturally to me. I'm so glad I gained that confidence, though! She is such a hard worker, and inspires quite a few people! 

Here's what she had to say about her journey so far:

"Last year was rough. I was the heaviest that I have ever been. I was not happy with my life on many levels. I was feeling sorry for me. I was using food to fill the voids and unhappiness. Then I realized that only I could change it. Five months later and 28 lbs lighter, I'm on my way to a healthier and happier me. I'm learning new skills and establishing healthy habits so this will become a permanent lifestyle change. I'm not perfect. I'm work in progress. If I can do it, anyone can!"

I have no doubt we aren't done hearing from her! She will continue to inspire and motivate me, among others. I am so proud of you Stephanie! Thanks for being my friend! 

3 Day Refresh

I'm a little late on this post, but better late than never! I struggled, just like the rest of the world that isn't struggling to get food on the table for their families, during the holidays. I was pretty good about getting my workouts in, but as I've said over and over again (for those who are somewhat following me) nutrition is key! I had my shakes every day after my workouts, minus a few on my trip when I didn't have a blender, and then my food choices went down from there. Every single day. I would wake up and say today is different, I can do better. And I'd end the day just as frustrated with myself as the night before. When we got home from our trip January 3rd, I was so ready to get back on top of things. It was the perfect time to try the 3 Day Refresh.

Here's my review of the 3 Day Refresh:

DAY 1

I woke up and had about 8 ounces of water. Shortly after that, I had my first shake. I wasn't sure if I could blend it with ice, so I just used frozen strawberries, water, and the package of vegan chocolate Shakeology. It wasn't bad, but I'm used to blending my shakes with ice and making them thick. 

I love tea, but missed the boat on some herbal tea in the morning. I had been warned about the fiber sweep, so I was expecting it to taste disgusting. The taste wasn't the problem, it was the consistency. I just shook the cup of water with the package of fiber sweep briefly, and then chugged it. It was thicker than I expected for just shaking it, and I'm glad I was warned to drink it right away. Not my favorite thing in the world, but not the grossest thing I've had, either. 

By lunch time I was fairly hungry. I drank my vanilla fresh plain, had half an apple, and celery with some almond butter. I have heard that people really liked the vanilla fresh. It would have been better had I blended it with fruit. Lesson learned, I'll blend it for lunch tomorrow! 

For the second snack, I had a carrot stick and some melted coconut oil. Creative, I know. It wasn't great. 

For dinner, last vanilla fresh and I had the lemon green beans what were in the book. They were pretty good! We are going to start making our green beans this way from now on. I also had a cup of vegetable broth.

For being my first day, I was pretty tired. I had a ton of energy early on, but I did a TON of cleaning. I can't tell if I'm tired from cleaning or having a very small amount of calories. I am glad this is only 3 days long. It feels great though, not feeling gross like I had the last few days before starting. With that said, I was ready for the 3 days to be over with!

DAY 2

My food choices were about the same. I had heard that a lot of people really struggled with the second day, and had a lot less energy. I felt quite a bit of energy. I wasn't as hungry as I was the first day. 

The shake and vanilla fresh are really good with fruit. I would highly recommend blending them with frozen fruit if you have a blender. For dinner, I made the roasted asparagus, those were delicious!

I didn't do much on this day, I was so worried about how I'd feel so I planned an easy day. It really wasn't bad.

DAY 3

This day was a lot like the second. I was ready for it to be over and to eat HEALTHY food. It wasn't like cleanses I had been on in the past where all I could think about was the junk I was eating before. I wasn't full of energy, but I wasn't extremely tired either. All of my food choices were the same except I had a salad with a homemade dressing following the guidelines for lunch, and then the green beans again for dinner. 

I lost 7 pounds on the 3 Day Refresh. 

Ultimately, I feel like the 3 Day Refresh helped me realize how much junk I was consuming. It also helped me focus more on when I ate, maybe I was eating more of boredom than actual hunger at times. I've never really been one to like cleanses. My husband jokes that I turn into a whole different person when I'm hungry I get grouchy, irritated and mean. But now I can appreciate the food that fuels my body in a different way. It really helped me refocus and get back to fueling my body properly.

Would you like to try the 3 Day Refresh yourself? Need help getting back on track, or want to get a jump start on a new program you are starting. Get it here.

Taco Boats

It's been a little while since I've tried any new recipes. During the holidays, it was just so easy to make the same old foods. Then we were out of town for a week. This was a perfect new recipe, it was easy to make. It was also pretty tasty, if I might say so myself.

I'm a really big fan of lettuce wraps. I like the lightness of lettuce versus a carb loaded tortilla. Zucchini is nice and light too. They are so versatile. You can make them into noodles, hide them in brownies and all kinds of breads, even burgers, like my zucchini burgers. I think I am going to have to explore a whole lot of zucchini recipes this month!

Back to the point, these are really good. You can even add more toppings than I had here, olives, plain Greek yogurt (as a sour cream replacement), green onions, peppers......here I go rambling again. Here's the recipe!

Taco Boats
4 zucchini
1/2 cup salsa
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
                       -or- 2 Tbsp of Flavorgod's Taco Tuesday seasoning
3 Tbsp water
1/2 cup Mexican mix shredded cheese
cilantro to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa (half of salsa will be added into turkey mixture) on bottom of 9x13 pan. Wash and cut ends off zucchini. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and with a spoon, hollow out center of zucchini, leaving about 1/4 inch shell.

 Place zucchini in pan on top of salsa. Chop up the scooped out zucchini mush, and place on a paper towel to absorb some of the liquid. In a skillet, brown turkey until no longer pink. Add in seasoning, water, 1/4 cup salsa, and 1/2 cup of zucchini pulp. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Scoop turkey mixture into hollowed out zucchini.

 Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with tin foil, being careful not to touch the top of the food. Bake for 35 minutes.

2 halves equal one serving, serves 4
1 green, 1 red, 1 blue