Creative With Shakes but Need A Name....

New Protein Shake Needs a Name

When I returned from my boot camp I instruct, I decided I wanted a good post workout/breakfast drink.  I was craving a peanut butter shake and also a banana but I’m out of bananas.  I need to add that to my list.  I remembered I just purchased these new Chobani Champions Honey-Nana Greek yogurts and I had a creative urge.    One of my favorite protein powders is Syntha 6 in Vanilla by BSN and I love to add PB2 and Unsweetened Almond Milk to my shakes.  I didn’t add ice like I normally do and this shake had a thicker but smoother texture to it almost like a chocolate mousse.  I have to say it was a great shake but it needs a name.  This isn’t a shake I would recommend having often especially if you do not burn a lot of calories during your workout. 

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop Syntha 6 Vanilla
• 1 Tbsp. PB2 Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
• 8oz.  Unsweetened Almond Milk by Almond Breeze
• 1 Container- Chobani Champions Honey-Nana Greek yogurt

Directions: add all ingredients to a blender and blend without ice. 

Nutritional Facts:  

353 Calories

31 g Carbohydrates

13 g fat

33 g protein

What do you think I should call this shake? 

Lazy Day and A New Marinade

It's been very hot here in Indiana and the kids and I was afraid it would be another hot day. I figured today is a great day to catch up on housework and laundry. My youngest son wanted to declare today another pajama day; everyday would be pajama day if I left it up to him. For dinner I decided to defrost some chicken and make my own marinade. The marinade ingredients included:
 • Fresh squeezed orange juice (1)
• Fresh squeezed lime juice (1)
 • Sea Salt pinch
• Chili powder
 • pepper
• Onion powder

I marinated the chicken for several hours and grilled them. I also made a fresh romaine salad with cherry tomatoes and bell peppers and I tried a new product by Roland Black Bean Quinoa. It was a pretty summer time meal that was quick and easy to make with leftovers for my lunch. What is one of your favorite marinades to make?

Not in The Mood

There are some days when I go workout that I just don't feel like it.  Today wasn't one of those days until I arrived.  I ended up in this horrible funk and couldn't shake it and it started with the sleds being brought out.  What are sleds? Below you will see a sled and for me it's the devil because I am healing from a cracked disc in my neck and a bulging disc.  I knew at once I needed to modify my workout. Then during the workout I felt tired and broke two nails.  I was wasting time trying to rip them completely off while cussing.  I thought the workout was going to be an entire waste of my time but maybe the stress of being so mad and not in the mood actually helped. I ended up burning 545 calories during that 45 minute workout.  


Even if you're not in the mood to workout push yourself because after it's all over you will feel great and it does awesome things for your mood.  Keep pushing!  

Convenience Items

I’m all about things that make my life simple and ZipLoc has my new favorite convenience item.  I purchased the new Perfect Portions bags and let me say I love these things. 

As you can see by the picture I had field day preparing my week’s worth of meats for my lunches and dinners.  I am all about planning ahead and this allows me the convenience of pulling out two servings of meat; one for lunch and one for dinner already weighed for perfection.  

When you’re trying to maintain clean eating habits items like the Perfect Portions makes life so much easier.  I’m a mom of four and I need simple!   I also use a scale to weigh all my meat portions because today the chicken breasts gigantic.   I weighed one chicken breast and it was over six ounces which is more than my required portion. 

Be sure to always weigh or measure your foods this is a great way to control your portions and lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. 

A Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

I have been missing in action for a week due to our family vacation.  The kids and I traveled to Outer Banks, North Carolina or OBX for those of you who are familiar.  This is our family vacation with my parents that we take each summer.  I did manage to get in some running several days and one day of kettlebells; which I will say wasn’t enough considering the butt kicking I got to day when I returned. 

During vacation I was able to plan workouts for my boot camp that begins tomorrow and take lots of photos.  They say pictures are worth a thousand words and this vacation my daughter managed to catch some photos of me with my mom and they caused a stir on my mom’s Facebook page.  My mom started her first 24 Day Challenge on March 24 check out her before photo. 

Since then my mom is down 25 pounds!  She received so many positive comments on her Facebook page after her friends and family saw these photos.  One of the comments someone said, “you look like you’re in your twenties”!  WOW now that was cool!  Everyday my mom is working 12 hour days as a nurse practitioner then she comes home and hits the pavement running.  She eats clean each week and you can find her planning and preparing her meals on Sunday’s for the next week.  She has found a balance and the proof is in the pictures!

Don’t get discouraged and think you cannot accomplish your goals because it’s too hard instead let me help you and join the many others who take my challenge and let them be your support and your encouragement. 

Fit People with Similar Stories

Have you ever seen someone really fit and felt intimidated? You imagine this person has looked like this all of their life. You think to yourself there isn't anyway he/she could have possibly been overweight or unhealthy.

I have many friends who just like me lost a lot of weight and now they are very fit. I met them at the gym and heard their stories and the bounds were formed. One of my friends I met through a running group; at the time I met her she was trying to lose weight and just started running. Now she is a trainer, she has ran half-marathons and soon she will run a marathon. She is just like me a busy mom, wife, and trainer; she gained weight because of pregnancy but one day a little spark was ignited. Between the two of us we lost over a hundred pounds and when we taught classes people would assume we were always super fit.

Don’t be intimidated by fit people. Many of these people have gone through the same things you are going through. As moms I know many of us at some point suffer from some sort of depression. We tend to shut down and stop taking care of ourself and we become the mom we saw in the mall and think, I’m never going to look like that after I have children. Well shame on you and me but I think we ALL end up being that mom at some point.

Never fear because it’s not too late to get in shape. I love seeing people of all ages exercising and taking care of their health. We only have one body and it’s important to take care of it. Start small learn how to read food labels. Always look at the fat and sugar content and read the ingredients.

Hidden Sugar; if you see one of these ingredients in the first five it is one of the highest contents in that product.

• sucrose
• high fructose corn syrup
• molasses
• dextrose
• honey

Read, read, read it’s important to read and I know it’s hard to know what exactly is the best reads to learn how to eat healthy. Eat Clean Diet is one of the best books out there. In the beginning of my weight loss journey I used these books like they were my bible. You can get them on the internet, at the library, and I’m sure most Kindles. You can check out my Success Story here.

Keep pushing and every little step is one step closer to your healthy goals.

Vacation and Keeping Up

This week I'm preparing for vacation and it's exceptionally hard coming off of a holiday weekend. I don't know about you but the last thing I want to do on a holiday weekend is pack and shop. I've been making my "To Do" list and of course tomorrow I will start the hustle and bustle; kids haircuts, grocery shopping, last minute clients and of course kettlebells and running. The last two are very important for me to keep my sanity during all of this craziness. We have a two day car ride to Outerbanks, North Carolina with five kids and a caravan with my parents and sister. Packing for vacation includes clothing, beach items but most importantly healthy snacks and foods for lunch and dinner. When I go on vacation I always pack the essentials; apples, protein shakes, chicken, whole grain tortillas, water bottles for the kids and gallon jugs of water for me. It's been a lifesyle change for all of us and I'm really excited because my mom, sister, and brother-in-law have all changed their lifestyle. My family completed the 24 Day Challenge and have had major success. They want to maintain their routine and their success and inorder to do this we are only being conscious about the foods we pack and meals we plan to make. I plan to pack the 24 Day Challenge cookbook and make Pineapple Burgers and Mango Salsa Chicken. The best thing about vacation in Outerbanks is the lack of fast food restaurants and the grocery store is approximately 45 minutes away from our house. This keeps us from jumping into the car and heading to the closest fast food restaurant to get a quick fix. No matter what vacation or at home I make it a point to keep up with my eating habits and most importantly my workouts. The kettlebells are packed and I'm ready to go...