Paleo Breakfast Cups

Paleo Breakfast Cups


These are so quick and easy.  The one batch will give me breakfast for a week.  I will eat two with an apple.  Quick and easy.  Plus they are so yummy!

Ingredients:

16 eggs
1 pound breakfast sausage
1 small sweet onion
1 bell pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350.  Grease muffin tins with extra virgin olive oil. Cook sausage in frying pan on stove until done.  Drain into bowl.  Now add chopped peppers and onions and cook until soft.  Next add an egg to each "muffin" hole.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Top with sausage, peppers, and onions.  Bake for 13 to 16 minutes until eggs are done to your liking. 

Clean Eating French Fries

Clean Eating French Fries

Seriously these are my go to comfort food!

 Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes sliced into fries
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 475.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray foil with cooking spray.  Take the sliced potatoes and soak in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. 

Drain the potatoes.  Then toss the potato slices with the olive oil in the bowl.  Spread out onto baking sheet.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake until cooked through flipping fries every 10 minutes.  Mine took about 25 minutes. 

Body Beast Update

I realize I haven't posted an update in a while on my progress!  Well I'm in week 2 of the Bulk Phase.  Loving the Bulk workouts as they are a little bit shorter.  I have also stopped doing as many Turbo Fire workouts since I got sick.  So I'm only doing 2 each week, maybe 3 if I'm feeling good. 

Everything is starting to look tighter and more toned.  Last Friday was my one month mark.  So incredibly happy with the results.  The pictures are amazing!  The scale really hasn't moved that much.  I started out around 151 and now I'm around 147 depending on the day and water weight.  However, it's the visual differences that are the best.  Everything is tighter!  Stopping all the extra cardio has really helped to.  I've noticed much more of a difference in these past two weeks when I dropped from 5 days of cardio to 2.  My body is able to build and recover my muscles. 

I've also started drinking a post workout protein shake.  I think that has helped too.  This combo is my favorite.  Precision brand Whey Protein Isolate 1 scoop, with 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, and 1 tbsp natural peanut butter.  Tastes like dessert in a glass!

One of my biggest struggles lately have been the negative people in my life.  I guess haters are always going to hate but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with.  They say you need to cut ties with the negative people in your life... but that's hard to do when they are your coworkers! So this is my new motto.  Done letting other people influence how I feel.  I'm going to be proud!

Goal Setting

Setting goals is ESSENTIAL for living the life of your dreams! I mean, how are you going to get anywhere in this life if you don't identify your destination? Think of your ultimate goal as your destination...and your short-time & long-term goals as road maps to the life you want to live. The path to get there may not be the smoothest or the shortest, but it will make getting there SO much sweeter! Life truly is about the journey and you should never be afraid to give 100%!

Learning to set goals isn't easy though.  I have found Chalene Johnson to be extremely influential in how I learned to set goals.  Her book Push: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin' Body, and the Life You Deserve is seriously awesome.  She breaks down how to set goals and how to work towards those goals.

Here is another guide on how to set goals...

The only problem I have with the above model is the A.  Don't make your goals smaller because of this.  Make sure your goals are challenging enough to push you to change yourself.

Here is an example of my newest goal:  I am going to compete in a figure competition in the bikini category by Summer 2014.  (I would make it more specific but I haven't chosen which competition I want to compete in).  This goal is extremely challenging for me.  I will  have to clean up my eating even more and push through harder workouts.  This goal is going to push me to where I ultimately want to be.  Tying it to the deadline of next summer makes it so I cannot procrastinate. 

When should you set goals?

You should have weekly goals.  Whether it's to eat clean for the entire week, get in all 6 workouts, lift heavier, have date night with your spouse, have a sit down conversation with your spouse about how your relationship went for the week, make X number of new contacts at work, make an extra payment on your car, etc.  You can make a goal for any area of your life you are trying to improve. 

You should also have monthly, yearly, and five year goals.  Sit down and spend 5-10 minutes reviewing your goals every day.  Keep them fresh in your mind.  Share them with people!  They will help you stay accountable.

Next Challenge Group

I am seriously in LOVE with Beachbody fitness programs!  Seriously my life has changed dramatically and I now realize that I love health and fitness.  To the point where this is what I want my job to be.  I will be starting to get my certification to become a personal trainer!  Yay for finding myself and my passion!

Now in order to follow my passion I need people to help!  Do you want to lose weight, get healthy, improve your life?  Well look no further.  I'm not accepting applicants for my next challenge group.  The group will be starting October 28th.  Find more information on what a challenge group is and how to apply here.

I have found that being a part of a challenge group is incredibly helpful to keep you motivated to reach your goals.  For me it's knowing that I have to tell people how I ate today and how good I did at my workout that keeps me pushing harder.  Not to mention the looks I'm getting from my husband.  I had to take my one month of Body Beast photos the other day.  All I have to say is YES! I'm doing it.

It takes time and hard work.  But it also takes someone to support you.  That is the best thing about the challenge group in my opinion.  It's the support from your coach and fellow group participants that gets the results.  We all struggle.  We all have ups and downs.  Let's support each other to make it through the holidays looking better for once...not worse.

Let me teach you how to change your life.  One day at a time.  Become someone you are proud of. 

Sugar Addiction

Americans are addicted to sugar.  Myself included.  Sugar is added into almost everything we eat.  Did you know there are over 50 names for sugar. Sugar is hiding in so many items found at the grocery store.  It's hidden in all these foods because as we all know sugar make things taste good! 

Why is too much sugar a bad thing?  Your waistline!  When you eat simple sugars (think white pasta and bread, candy, cookies, baked goods, etc) your body releases insulin quickly.  The insulin removes the sugar from your bloodstream quickly which leaves you feeling tired and hungry.  

Not to mention one of the more common fungal infection Candida (aka yeast) feeds off of sugar.  Candida infections can cause a variety of symptoms such as fatigue, allergies, chemical sensitivities, irritable bowel syndrome, autoimmune disorders, intolerance to alcohol, and other GI related problems.  As someone who suffers from terrible allergies (think weekly allergy injections), fatigue, and stomach problems I think it's worth a try to cut out sugar.  

Another scary little factoid is that cancer feeds off of sugar!  Studies done on poor little lab mice (this makes me mad) show that the lower sugar diet the animal was on the better the survival rate.  That's another good reason to quit the addiction.

Now how to stop...

1.) Eat a high protein diet.  Our bodies tell us we are lacking certain food groups by giving us certain cravings.  When you get a craving for sugar try having some protein.  Like hard boiled eggs or a chocolate peanut butter protein shake. 

2.) Remove temptations!  Clear out your cupboards of junk.  Oh and ditch the ice cream treats from the freezer.  I have found this to be particularly helpful.  I love to bake too which is so detrimental.  Even if I tell myself I'll have only one cookie if they are there I will eat them!  So I ditched the bag of sugar I had.  Now in order to bake something I'll have to go to the store to buy sugar.

3.) Eat a piece of fruit.  An apple is a good choice here.  Very sweet yet filling due to all the fiber.  My favorite apples are Honeycrisp.  They are so yummy and sweet. 

4.) Prevent a drop in blood sugar.  Eat 5 to 6 times a day.  This will prevent a drop in blood sugar.  When your blood sugar drops you will begin to crave sugar.  Make sure when you snack you pair a protein up with a complex carb.  So think apple with cottage cheese, yogurt with peaches, peanut butter and celery.  This will keep you full and satisfied longer.

5.) Drink some water.  Sometimes we mistake hunger for thirst.  Drink a glass of H2O and wait 20 minutes to see if you are still feeling hungry.

6.) Stop drinking sugar.  Ditch the soda, juice, and flavored coffee drinks.  Our body doesn't need them! 

7.)  Look at your labels.  Make sure you buy food unsweetened.  Almond milk is my favorite thing to add to my smoothies and protein shakes but they sell sweetened and unsweetened versions.  I also like peanut butter for extra protein but again some have sugar added in.  Make your own marinades.  Most marinades add sugar and let me tell you what, when you make your own without sugar they are just as good!  Look for hidden sugars... they usually end in -ose (dextrose, sucrose, maltose) or -tol (maltol, sorbitol), syrup, dextran, etc.  Here is a list http://www.dietriffic.com/2009/03/26/names-for-sugar/

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa

This recipe is seriously delicious.  I have made a Buffalo Chicken Casserole in my previous non-clean eating life and this is seriously better!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or water)
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 to 10 ounces) OR 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 to 3 green onions chopped or 1 tsp dried chives
• 1/2 cup hot sauce (I recommend Frank's hot sauce)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 

1. Make quinoa: In a medium sauce pan, put rinsed quinoa and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes and then fluff quinoa with a fork.
2. Poach chicken: While the quinoa is cooking, place chicken in medium pot, and add enough water to cover chicken. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer; cook for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let chicken stand, covered until cooked through (about 12 to 14 minutes). Remove chicken from liquid and shred with 2 forks.
3. After you removed your chicken from the liquid steam your broccoli using the same water or fresh water. 
4. Make the sauce: Whisk together hot sauce, oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder and salt. 
5. Add the quinoa, chicken, steamed brocolli, and sauce mixture to a large bowl and toss to coat.

This is where I found the original recipe but I modified some things for my liking.. such as omitting the cheese and carrots.  
 http://alidaskitchen.com/2013/04/30/buffalo-chicken-quinoa-salad/