Healthy Breakfast!

Bananacakes!

Healthy pancakes made with oats and banana! So simple, easy and quick!  Lily and Matt both loved them so I think that is a sign they are good!

Ingredients

1/2 cup oats

1 banana

2 eggs

1/4 cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Put oats in a blender and blend until fine

2. Put ground oats in mixer bowl with all the other ingredients, mix until smoothish (i would say I mixed on medium for 2 minutes to break up the banana).

3. Cook just like regular pancakes on the stove!

This recipe made 5 silver dollar pancakes so if I make it again I will double it! ENJOY!

**Bad Blogger Alert:  I didn't take any pictures of the cakes :( but they look just like pancakes of course their texture is a little different but as long as you ground your oats they are good!!!

BeachBody's Military Discount Program!

So I had totally envisioned myself doing a totally different post this week but you know when something keeps being brought to your attention and you don't think it's a big deal but then you realize everyone else keeps talking about it, so maybe just maybe it is a big deal? That's whats been happening with me and the BeachBody Military Coach Discount.  After it was brought to my attention by a number of people I sat down and really thought about it and WOW THIS REALLY IS A BIG DEAL AND AN AMAZING BENEFIT TO MILITARY PERSONNEL AND THEIR SPOUSES!!!!

What is the discount?
A beachbody military coach get 25% off everything on the Beachbody website! From the workout programs to shakeology to exercise equipment.

For those of you who are already using BeachBody, you know this isn't a little discount....if you are using shakeology every month this discount alone saves you over $400 a year! It brings the cost of Shakeology down to just over $100 a month or $3/day for your most nutrient packed healthiest meal of the day.

Here is the real benefit for military coaches (because every coach whether you are military or not gets 25% discount), your initial sign up fee (39.95) is waived and your monthly coaching fees (15.95) are also waived! An additional savings of $231.35 a year!!

How does it work?
Simple, you can buy what you want when you want and receive your 25% discount.

Then, if you want to, and ONLY if you want to, you can also build a very profitable business as a military coach.

As a coach you get 25% commission on anything you sell through your beachbody website.  Plus, there are incentive programs for challenge packs and different contests where you can win stuff!

I am extremely part-time coaching because I have a full-time job that I love and don't want to give up, but even still I make enough money to get my nails done every week (for a busy mom that is a true blessing!) and I paid for my trip down to see my parents in Myrtle Beach (airfare) and most of our Christmas presents this Christmas.  I am hoping to be putting away enough this year to cover some of the daycare expenses for Lily and to build a deck on our townhouse. 

Who is eligible?
Anyone who is currently active duty in the military.  Anyone who is married to someone who is currently active duty in the military. AND JUST ADD THIS MONTH, anyone who is a veteran of the military!

What do you need to do to get started?
This is always the hardest part for people.  You need to make a commitment to yourself, to your family, that you are ready to live a healthier lifestyle.  You need to commit to working on getting yourself in the best shape of your life and, if you want to, helping your friends and family do the same!  This all starts with you believing you are meant for more and then doing what it takes to get there!

If you want to know more about the military discount, please send me a message, or friend me on facebook, or be bold and join my team! Whether you are just looking for a discount or you are looking for a way to take control of your fitness and finances, I will be happy to help you get started!

There you have it, the military coach discount program for BeachBody.  I am not in a military family so I can only imagine how hard it is to have your spouse leave for months on end and you are left to keep your family going in their absence.  I know a lot of military spouses are home with the kids while their partners are out protecting our country and our freedom.  The beauty of being a beachbody coach is it is from home.  You still get to be with your kids all day, but now you have the ability to not only get in the best shape of your life (physically and mentally) but help pay for bills! (and if you want to, possible bring home enough money to cover your spouses salary and bring them home for good)

I hope this was helpful and even if you aren't a member of the military, being a beachbody coach is an amazing opportunity! (I am a little biased because I am said beachbody coach) But this has been an opportunity of a lifetime for me so far in my infancy of my beachbody coaching life.  I have lost over 10 pounds and 12 inches using BeachBody programs and Shakeology.  I have met some pretty amazing women and men, who are such an inspiration in what you can do with this opportunity.  I get to be a part of a movement that will hopefully help to end the obesity epidemic that is running rampant in our country. Best of all, I get to be a part of another company who actually cares about people and cares about helping people be the best they can be!

Amazing Chicken Fried Rice Recipe!

Chicken Fried Rice

(original recipe can be found here)

So I tried this new recipe last night and it was so good and pretty healthy and really quick!  Matt and I loved it and Lily even ate some which for a 2 year old to like it means it must be good!!!  Below is the recipe, let me know what you think!

Ingredients

2 Boneless Chicken Breast

1 TBSP Toasted Seasame Oil

1 TBSP Olive Oil

4 Green Onions 

1 1/3 cups frozen peas and carrots mix

3 TBSP Low Sodium Soy Sauce

2 eggs

2 Garlic cloves, minced

3 cups cooked brown rice (I cooked mine on tuesday when we I was using it for another meal and then put it in my fridge until Saturday, I would recommend cooking it at least the morning of or the night before and storing otherwise it might make the fried rice a little too soggy)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Dice Chicken Breasts, I dont have the patience or skill to make them the called for 1 inch cubes so I just cut them up until they seemed small enough.

2. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil and 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil to a Wok, heat over medium.  Add chicken and cook until it is brown, took me about 7 minutes.

3. Set aside chicken, add 1 1/2 toasted sesame oil and 1 1/2 olive oil to Wok.  Throw in peas and carrots, let them cook for about 3 minutes.  Add green onion, cook another minute.  Add Garlic, cook another minute.

4.  Push veggies to the side of wok, crack eggs and scramble.  Mix back in rice, chicken and veggies.  Add soy sauce and let cook for 3-5 minutes.

Ready to serve!  Makes a little over 4 servings, I added Siracha to mine because I love spicy but Matt ate his without and still loved it!

Hope your family enjoys this as much as mine did!

A delicious AND nutritious recipe!

Asian Turkey Quinoa Meatballs

(original recipe from here)

Okay, so I made these on Thursday night and I have had them as leftovers for the last two days at lunch...I figured if it was good enough to eat leftovers for 2 days I needed to share it!

They just have amazing flavor and are pretty filling, we made them with egg noodles for dinner on Thursday but for the last two days at lunch I have had them just by themselves with the sauce and MMMMMMM is all I have to say!

Ingredients:

Meatballs

1 pound ground Turkey (I used super lean like 99% fat free)

3/4 cup cooked quinoa

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 egg

1 tablespoon soy sauce (I used low sodium)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon siracha 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Sauce (**I doubled this for the sauce to make sure I had enough for leftovers)

1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (I must admit I have no idea how to fresh grate ginger so I tried to but I really think I only got maybe like 1/2 a tablespoon total in the sauce)

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon siracha

2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

Directions:

**cook quinoa according to packaging instructions.  I meant to do it the night before but i forgot so I did it as soon as I got home from work and it cooled for like 5 minutes before adding it to the turkey, I think it made them meatballs cook quicker because the mixture was warm when it went in the oven.

1. Preheat oven to 400 and grease 2 9x13 pans.  I just sprayed them with olive oil Pam, the original recipe calls just for one pan but there was no way I was going to be able to fit all the balls in one pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, quinoa, garlic, onion, egg, soy sauce, sesame oil, siracha, salt and pepper.  You can use your hands or a wooden spoon, I used a wooden spoon and it worked well.

3. Make 1/2 inch meatballs and place in pan.  I was able to make 20 meatballs when I made it.

4. Bake for 18-20 minutes until crisp.  My husband liked them more crisp so I only cooked for 18 but next time I am going to go 20 minutes.

5. While the meatballs cook, in a small/medium sauce pan, whisk together soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil and siracha over medium high heat.  Once the mixture is warm, whisk together cornstarch and water and add to the mixture.  Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens about 2 minutes.  I must admit I didn't really see a thickening so I just keep my sauce on low until the meatballs were done.

Enjoy meatballs with sauce!

Two Days in....I LOVE IT! Insanity Max:30

I finally, after having it for 2 weeks, started Insanity Max:30....and I am obsessed with it! 

I have been so sore the last two days but I am embracing it because I know I am gaining muscles......#bikinibodybysummer

For those of you who are wondering what the workouts are like here is a brief overview:

-the whole point is to push yourself to the max until you can't go on and then you take a breather and jump back in and push yourself to the max again and again until you have finished the 30 minute workout.

-I have only done two of the workouts but in both of them you have 6-30 second water breaks, so you do get a little breather.

-in Cardio Challenge it was basically 4-5 minutes cardio high intensity then a 30 second break

-in Tabata Power you do 30 second spurts where you go go go for 20 seconds and then jog it out for 10 seconds and you still get 30 second breaks every 4-5 minutes(this is why I was able to go longer in this one over the Cardio Challenge)

One of the best parts about this workout is you can choose to have the modifier on the screen the whole time so you can either follow Shaun T or the modifier.  My goal is to follow Shaun T until I max out and then I follow the modifier and obviously I should be going longer each week before I max out.  I will keep you posted!

I am going to finish with just some general life happenings related to my health and fitness!

1. I got the flu last week, bummer!!!  

I was thinking about it this weekend and I am sure there are other factors involved as to why I got it, BUT I stopped focusing on my nutrition and my fitness for 2 weeks leading up to the new year because I was so focused on making sure we had a great holiday.  So I didn't have my Shakeology in the mornings and at night instead of working out I wrapped gifts and made cookies and partied and drank!  So while it was fun, I ended that binge with the flu so was it worth it? Hmmmm

2. I have kept the weight off from 3 Day Refresh!!!!!

I have gotten this question a lot, so you lost all that weight in 3 days have you kept it off?  And my answer is a resounding YES! I knew I was a plateau when I started the 3 Day Refresh and it helped me get below that plateau and now I am on the opposite side of it and I am staying here.  In fact, I weighed myself this morning and I am down .4lbs from my ending weight on 3 Day Refresh :) So while the majority of Americans were gaining 1-5 pounds this holiday season I am just over here getting below my goal weight and staying there!!  8-) (that's my cool guy with sunglasses on face)

3. I have to get a procedure done next Tuesday on a mole I had removed.

So I found out December 31 (great way to end 2014) that a mole I had removed a few weeks ago was pre-cancerous (but the nurse used bigger words) and I have to go back so they can make sure they get all the bad cells out.  So I go in January 13 at 830 to get the procedure done.  The nurse said it was pretty simple, just numb the area do some scrapping and then stitch me up.  Good news is I already had day off so I don't have to miss work for it...bad news is it is right in the middle of my stomach so I am going to have a pretty interesting scar this summer when I am out and about in my bikini!  I am not too worried about it but if you are the praying type I would love to be added to your prayers for the next week that everything goes according to plan!

4. I want to win a workout with Shaun T! Will you help me?

So there is a contest going to this month, the coach who gets the most people to join them in doing the Insanity Max:30 Challenge will win a live workout with Shaun T.  I am going out on a limb here but I WANT TO WIN!  So I am asking all of you, will you join me this month? Here is the bonus part, the program is on sale through the 31st and it comes with a 30 day supply of Shakeology so you can work on your fitness and start working on your diet as well.  If you are interested, please fill out this entry form and I will make sure you get in!  Let's make 2015 the best year yet!

Shakeology Buckeyes!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it is 2015 already, where does the time go?!  I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas/New Years time with their family.  I had the pleasure of traveling to Myrtle Beach to see my family with Lily....AND Lily was so good on the flights down and back!  I was so nervous but she sat in my lap and we watching Frozen and played with tape without any tears or whining.

Bad news is I somehow got the flu along the way.  I made it through Christmas feeling fine but by Saturday afterwards I was totally down for the count.  Fever, aches, stuffy head nose and chest....took me until Tuesday to feel good enough to get out of bed.  Lily got the flu shot so she never caught it from me thank goodness and Matt is still holding strong so that's a sign of relief!

I meant to post about these amazing buckeye's I made for a Christmas party a couple of weeks ago but life just got in the way. What makes them so amazing is they are so easy and so HEALTHY!  Regular buckeye calls for tons of sugar, I replaced all the sugar with Shakeology!  

For those who don't know what Shakeology is, it's a dense superfood powder that you mix with water/milk/almond milk/any cold liquid to make a delicious meal. It's like a multivitamin in shake form.  I started using it back in July when I started with BeachBody and I literally have it every morning for my breakfast.  I could go on and on about the benefits of it and the savings you get by using it but that would be a novel not a blog post :) so if you want to learn more about it, you can check out the website or you can message me and I will gladly share more!

Now for the recipe:

Shakeology Buckeyes

1 cup Vanilla Shakeology

1 cup Oats

1.5 cups Organic Creamy Peanut Butter

12 oz. Dark Chocolate Melts

1. Put Oats in a food processor or blender and blend until they are a fine texture.

2. Combine oats with Shakeology and add Peanut Butter.  Here is the part where I did a little improvising, I started with 1 cup peanut butter but noticed the dough wasn't sticking together so I kept adding peanut butter until it was a formed dough that I could make balls out of and I am guessing it was around 1.5 cups total but it might be a little less.

3. Roll dough into large marble size balls and place on wax paper.

4. Melt Dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.

5. Using a toothpick, pick up each ball and dip in Chocolate.  Replace on wax paper to allow it to harden.

VIOLA! Shakeology Buckeyes!  I put mine in the refrigerator for a few minutes to let them set up but then I added them to goody bags and they were served room temperature.  I didn't count how many this made but I want to say it was in the range of 36-40 balls.

They were a big hit and everyone loved that they were getting a dessert that was also giving them important vitamins and nutrients to be healthy! 

Here is my amateur picture of what they looked like:

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!