There are just eight weeks–EIGHT!– until Memorial Day, the official start of summer. How ready are you to bare it all in bathing suits, shorts, and tank tops? I know I’m dialing in my nutrition as we speak and if you want to learn how to eat clean and reap the benefits from eating foods that fuel your body without harmful chemicals and artificial and processed ingredients PLUS LOSE weight, then join me in a FREE 30-day clean eating challenge!
During this challenge I will not only provide you with a FREE 14-day meal plan and grocery list, but I will also provide you with a private Facebook support group where you’ll not only learn the ins and outs of clean eating, but you’ll also have the chance to win PRIZES!
Sound like something you might be interested in? I thought so! Yes, it’s FREE. Totally and completely free! Comment, below, or contact me for more details!
I’ve sort of become obsessed lately of scouring Pinterest and my copies of Southern Living, bon appetit, and Martha Stewart Living to find recipes that aren’t necessarily that good for you, but that I can make clean … and kid friendly. I’ve been able to tweak things here and there by subbing out sour cream for non-fat Greek yogurt or sugar for honey. It’s all been in an effort to eat clean and in the proper proportions, all of which has been fueled by my great results from 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme.
(I’m also following the baby-led weaning method of eating for my 6 month old in order to 1) have her eat unprocessed foods and 2) allow her to explore food more and, in turn, create a less picky eater. More on this topic in a later post!)
So my question for you is this: what is your go-to family-friendly recipe? Is it homemade mac ‘n’ cheese? Is it buttermilk chicken fingers? Is it shrimp stir fry? Is it baked ziti?
And my second question is: how healthy do you think that meal is? Because here’s the thing: I want to remake YOUR go-to meals and make them cleaner and healthier. I want to provide YOU with options on how to create a healthy meal for you and your family that doesn’t contain a whole assortment of processed foods with artificial coloring and dyes and sweeteners, etc.
So I’m asking YOU to provide me with your go-to, family-friendly recipe so that I can attempt to remake it into a healthier, cleaner version. Comment below with your recipe or comment with the link. And please share with your friends! The more recipes we can remake, the cleaner and healthier we all can be for ourselves and our families!
Awhile back when I was really getting back into my postpartum workouts and lifting pretty intensely, I was SUPER sore. I mean, the type of sore where you have trouble walking down the stairs sore. Not good when you have–at the time–a 3 month old, 3 year old, and a two-story home.
So I decided to try this stuff: P90X Results and Recovery Formula. And it’s been a godsend for me! I don’t use it after every workout, but I do use it after an intense and rather grueling lift at the gym. It’s not only helped me combat post-workout fatigue and soreness but I also like to think it’s helped improve my muscle tone during my 21 Day Fix journey to my best and healthiest body after baby #2. Bonus: it tastes like a chilled delicious lemon-lime Gatorade! Coupled with my Shakeology every day plus clean eating and I truly have not felt better in my entire life.
And now you have the chance to try it, too! It’s super simple: click on the link, below, enter, and I’ll announce the winner next week. That’s it! Good luck!
Hit a plateau? It happens! The question is: how are you going to bust through it?
It happened.
After several weeks of doing my kick-ass 21 Day Fix Extreme workouts coupled with my Les Mills RPM (Spin/cycle) classes, I stopped seeing results. My body, it seems, had become complacent and began loving the fact that burpees with tuck jumps and plyo lunges and drop-set push ups became easier and easier every time I did them.
I saw it as progress at first: “I’m getting stronger!” And this was and still is DEFINITELY true. After doing this program I am SO much stronger and leaner than ever before in my life! But it was also time to start tricking my body and switching things up to see even MORE results.
So I started incorporating one of my other favorite Beachbody workouts into my routine: PiYo. I started adding doubles into my workouts. So one day I would do Lower Fix Extreme then pair that with PiYo Buns. (Holy burnout, by the way, with those two back-to-back!) Or I would do PiYo Strength Intervals with Upper Fix Extreme to get a full-body, cardio/strength training whammy.
And you know what happened? I took my measurements and lo and behold my waist was down ANOTHER inch. (For those keeping track, I’m officially down FOUR INCHES on my waist at just 6 months postpartum.) You see, doing the same workouts, the same run at the same pace, the same lifting routine on the same days of the week, aren’t really helping your body. In fact, you’re impairing your body’s ability to get stronger and leaner when you do the same thing over and over and OVER again.
Hubs and I are about to order Body Beast to do together and to help us switch things up. The best part about Body Beast is that you also get the free mobile app, which means I can follow along with the routine at the gym and get the same killer results I would get if I’d purchased a bunch of weights at home.
I’m also going to order P90X3, which, like 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme, combines strength training with cardio so you can get an INTENSE workout done in 30 minutes! THIRTY MINUTES! Guys, 30 minutes is NOTHING! Luckily, P90X3 is on sale this month so I can get the whole program for $30 AND get 30 days of Shakeology for $160! Um, this is the lowest price P90X3 has ever been offered, which is exactly why I’m jumping on the opportunity to buy it!
So if you, too, are stuck in a rut, you’re not seeing results, or you simply want to try something new knowing you WILL get results, message me! I can assure you that if you do these programs and you follow a clean eating plan like 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme you WILL see results.
But the question is: are you ready to make the change? #nomoreexcuses
I like peanut butter. I like bananas. So when I needed a quick snack today to stave off my sweet tooth cravings, this little guy was the perfect answer! When the peanut butter melts like that it’s just SO. DARN. GOOD. Bonus: it’s 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme approved!
INGREDIENTS
Serves 1
1/2 Small banana sliced
1 Corn tortilla toasted (if you don’t toast it, corn tortillas fall apart. Plus, it tastes better toasted! We toast ours in a pan with no oil or anything at all)
Summer is upon us–as in, SIX weeks!! If you need to get in shape, let me know, I can help!–and that means not only fresh veggies from fruit stands but it also means fresh berries! Ahh, I’ve been waiting all winter for fresh berries! And, if you’re anything like me, you love a sweet berry pie or, better yet, a berry cobbler dessert.
The only problem: berry cobblers are high in fat (hello, butter!) and sugar, which also means consuming a slice of cobbler won’t get you any closer to that bathing suit you bought for days at the pool.
But there’s good news! You CAN have your dessert and eat it, too! I found this awesome recipe on From Forks to Fitness and it is SO good! And it’s 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme approved, which also means it’s 100% CLEAN eating! Wahoo!
Here’s the recipe and 21 Day Fix container breakdown, below:
UPDATE: Join my Healthy New Year challenge group! All you need is a Beachbody program of your choice to follow and me as your coach along the way! Click here to join and let’s kick off 2016 with some awesome health and fitness resolutions!
INGREDIENTS
Serves 1
1/2 banana
1/2 cup berries of choice (I used mixed berries)
1/4 cup rolled oats (uncooked)
2 tsp. peanut butter
Honey to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375.
In a bowl, mash banana and combine with honey and peanut butter. Add oats and stir until fully incorporated.
Drop berries in bottom of jar and pour banana mixture on top.
Place uncovered jar in center of rimmed baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
To make it more decadent, whip up some nonfat Greek yogurt with a teeny but of honey and vanilla extract and top cobbler. SO GOOD!
What do you make when you have pork chops and apples laying around? Skillet pork chops and apples, of course! Hubs and I had been in a pork chops rut–we were always grilling them or cooking them in our cast iron pan but only seasoning with salt and pepper. But last night we had enough! So after a little Pinterest scrolling I found this recipe by the always reliable Mark Bittman. Not only were the flavors tremendously flavorful, but it was also Fix approved! How do ya like that?
We made a a change here or there (e.g., there was no need for that much oil OR the butter the recipe called for so I’ve removed or updated those from the recipe, below, to make it fit 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme). Oh, and we didn’t have any onions on hand sooo you won’t see those in this pic BUT next time we will definitely be adding them!
Bonus: my three year old ate this, too! Cue, pat Mom and Dad on the back :).
Here’s the recipe and 21 Day Fix container breakdown, below:
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
4 1″-thick pork chops, preferably bone in (6 to 8 ounces each)
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or light-bodied beer
2 Tbsp. chopped shallot or red onion
3 medium apples (we used Gala apples), peeled, cored, halved, and sliced
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1/2 cup chicken stock or water, or more as needed
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Blot the chops dry with a paper towel. Put a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When it’s hot, add the chops, turn the heat to high, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When they brown and release from the pan easily, turn the chops, season again, and cook this side the same way. The whole process should take about 2 minutes per side or 3 to 5 minutes total.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the wine—be careful here; the wine may splatter a bit when it hits the hot oil—and the shallot and cook, turning the chops once or twice, until the wine is almost evaporated, 1 or 2 minutes. Transfer the chops to a plate and return the pan to the heat.
Add the apples and onion to the hot pan and stir until they start to stick, 1 or 2 minutes. Add the stock, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chops to the pan, along with any juices accumulated on the plate. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat so it bubbles steadily, then cover.
Cook, stirring occasionally and turning the chops once or twice, until the chops are tender, 5 to 10 minutes; add another 1/2 cup stock or water if the apples start to stick. When the chops are done, they will be firm to the touch, their juices will run just slightly pink, and when you cut into them the color will be rosy at first glance but turn pale within seconds. By this time the apples and onions will also be soft. Stir in the lemon juice and butter and taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the chops with the sauce on top, garnished with the parsley.
So what happens when someone (aka my husband) who doesn’t need to lose weight does 21 Day Fix Extreme? This is what happens. This is what happens when you use a program that makes eating clean and portion control insanely simple. No supplements, no cleanses, no magic pill. Just eating exactly what your body needs–fruits, veggies, carbs, proteins, fats–in the right amounts and this is what you get. It’s 21 days, but a lifestyle for the rest of your life.
This fast and easy breakfast is also one of my favorite midday snacks now! Bonus: It’s 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme approved!
I’m a firm believer in eating things that keep you full for longer periods. I mean, who wouldn’t want to feel more full more often and therefore eat less? That’s how you lose weight, right? Calories in, calories out? So my go-to breakfast and snack on most days is a bowl of steel-cut oats. These cooked little oats literally get me through an entire morning if necessary. Better yet, the options for toppings are pretty bountiful.
I’ve always done mixed berries, strawberries, or blueberries depending on what’s in season. Occasionally I’d throw in half of a banana. But, for some reason, I’ve never tried apples. Which is funny considering I love apples. So I saw this recipe on From Forks to Fitness‘s Facebook page–the blog, by the way, is a fantastic source if you’re looking for 21 Day Fix recipes–and decided I had to try this simple snack on top of my oatmeal.
So I did. And wow, SO good! As always, it’s 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme approved, which also means it’s ALL clean eating! Wahoo!
Here’s the recipe and 21 Day Fix container breakdown, below:
Add sea salt or Mineralize to water. Bring water to a boil. Add oats and cook according to directions, usually 20-30 minutes. (There are also options for quick steel-cut oats. I use Quaker Quick Cooking Steel-Cut Oats when I’m pressed for time.) Sprinkle apple with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and put in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high 2-3 minutes. Add peanut butter to apple mixture and stir well. Top oatmeal with apple mixture.
NOTE: I added 1 Stevia packet and a little bit of unsweetened vanilla almond milk to my oatmeal but it’s not necessary to do either.
These three photos represent 2 rounds on 21 Day Fix Extreme. I lost 15 pounds and 10 inches total since beginning 21 Day Fix in January!
This, my friends, is my motivation. When I started my postpartum weight loss journey back on January 5th of this year, I was so, SO unhappy with myself. Though I was just 10 weeks postpartum with baby #2, none of my clothes fit. I had a flabby stomach, which I have NEVER had even after baby #1. I was tired. I was weak. And I desperately needed to make a change.
I decided that I wasn’t going to make excuses. No more excuses that I was only this many weeks postpartum. No more excuses that I was breastfeeding so I need this many more calories. Yes, those are all extremely relevant. But, for me, I was using those as crutches. I wasn’t eating an extra salad to make up for the calories I burned while nursing. No, I was eating more cheese and crackers, drinking more wine, and having an extra brownie because my body “needed” the calories. Those aren’t exactly the calories most nutritionists recommend you eat while nursing.
So I set aside my excuses and for the first time in my life, I started to eat clean and with proper proportions with 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme. The weight did not come off quickly. And it still doesn’t. But the inches have. Since January I have lost 4 inches off my stomach alone. I have lost 2 inches on each thigh. I have lost almost 3 inches on my hips/butt. I am still 15 lbs. from my goal and yet more people have told me this is the best they’ve seen me look. To which I responded: “Even when I was playing soccer in college and was 15 lbs. lighter than I am now?” They all say yes.
Because this time I’m fueling my body with REAL foods and REAL nutrients. I’m not binge drinking and eating late night pizza on the weekends like I did when I was in college. I’m focusing on the foods that my body truly needs in the amounts it really thrives on.
I’m still a work in progress. But when I look at these photos it shows me how far I’ve come in three months. It also shows me how I need to keep working so I can be the healthiest me possible.
Fit & Fierce Mama 