Pumpkin Spice Shakeology!

October starts tomorrow and let me tell you, I AM SO EXCITED! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love dressing up, the spooky decorations and the crisp fall air that comes with this time of year. 

Here is a blast from the past...   

                   

Along with the excitement of the holidays and the changing of the seasons is that temptations are greatly increased when it comes to FOOD!

I don't know about you about I love the Fall comfort foods. Hot chocolate, apple pie, cranberry bread, pumpkin pie... need I go on? Perhaps on of my favorite tastes of the season is pumpkin spice. I pretty much go pumpkin over load when Fall hits. Anything I can make pumpkin, I'm going for it. I even have a pumpkin roll Sentsy bar for my warmer. 

SOOOO I was on the hunt for a pumpkin spice Shakeology recipe because I had to find a way to turn my favorite meal of the day into my favorite Fall comfort food. Here is what I found!

 A Honey Pumpkin Spice Shakeology and not only will it give you that wonderful pumpkin taste but it will give your body a dose of dense nutrition that will help keep you fuller longer, cut your cravings down, and help you lose weight!!!! HOW COOL IS THAT?! 

Never tried or heard of Shakeology before? Check out this video to learn more!

Someday.

Today while reading my personal development I came across a very eye opening message about the idea of "someday, I will..." It hit a cord with me so deeply that I thought I'd share a little of it with you. It goes like this...

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"Some day my prince will come..." Good old Walt Disney. Well, that may have worked out for Snow White. Back here on Earth, it's a recipe for disappointment. In flesh-and-blood life, waiting for "someday" is no strategy for success, it's a cop out. What's more, it's one that the majority follow their whole lives.

Someday, when my ship comes in...
Someday, when I have the money...
Someday, when I have the time...
Someday, when I have the skill...
Someday, when I have the confidence...

How many of those statements have you said to yourself? I've got some sobering news for you: "some day" doesn't exist, never has, and never will. There is no "some day." There's only TODAY."

-Jeff Olson (The Slight Edge)
**

After reading that passage I thought about how many times I've put things off or thought "when I have the money" or "when I have a plan". Do you want to guess how many of those things I have actually accomplished in my life? NONE. That's right. I have never gone back. I have never been READY for those things. It's not because I'm too poor or don't have a plan its because I'm scared to take that leap of faith.

Here's some tough love for you on this Sunday and I know its not easy to hear. I feel the same way but nothing can change unless you are willing to stop saying someday and start saying TODAY.

Your MILLION DOLLAR IDEA...

How many times have you come up with an idea but ignored it because others thought it was "stupid"? 

At a conference that my husband attended the guest speaker spoke about exactly that. It all started when one of the brothers was hanging out at a bar with his friends. The song "I'm sexy and I know it" came over the speakers and he started to freestyle it into "I'm farming and I grow it". Thinking it was a great idea, he went home to tell his brothers of his idea. Only his brothers were less excited about it and thought it was stupid, but he wouldn't hear it. He made them do the video with him and within 2 weeks that video was viewed 6 million times!! The Peterson Farm Bros have gone on to make many other parodies that all talk about their life as a farmer. They have attracted so much attention that they get to travel all over the WORLD talking about agriculture and spreading awareness for how important farmers are. 

In the beginning, the brothers idea may have sounded incredibly stupid but he must have had a gut feeling that this was a GOOD idea. Only he saw the vision and in the end, that "stupid" idea was a HUGE success! 

So I'll ask you again. How many times are you doing to let other people shoot down your ideas? Your goals? Your dreams? 

Don't let your fear hold you back from something great. Those people don't need to see your idea in order for it to be a success. Put yourself out there and show the world who you are and what you care about. Remove your fears and go for it. 

It may just be YOUR million dollar idea.

Chicken Parmesan

My family LOVES Italian food! One of our favorites has got to be chicken parmesan. The crispy fried chicken with melted cheese and tomato sauce, need I say more?! Its heaven on a plate! I happened to run across this recipe from another coach and just had to try it! I put my own little spin on it and it came out wonderful! Here is the recipe so you can try it for yourself!

Healthy Chicken Parmesan--
2 chicken breasts
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 can low sodium chopped tomatoes, undrained 


Put the chicken into a greased casserole dish and sprinkle the seasonings on both breasts. Put in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until done.

Add a layer of tomatoes (as much or little as you want). I use Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Chopped Tomatoes. They are low in sodium and add a good flavor to the dish! I imagine you could also use chopped fresh tomatoes too!

Then top with mozzarella; place back in oven for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.

Add a side of steamed broccoli and ENJOY!!!

Cobb Salad with Dressing

Trying to eat clean better and stay away from processed foods is such a challenge for me! I must say though I've been doing SO much better! This was my lunch today! 

1/2 of a grilled chicken beast
1 1/2 cups chopped romaine
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 of a hard boiled egg

For the dressing I did...

1T extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1/2 of a freshly squeezed lemon
Fresh cracked pepper! 

It definitely filled me up and tasted AWESOME!

Sacha Inchi

Shakeology Spotlight 

Have you ever wondered what is in Shakeology? Well today we are going to take a deeper look at ONE of the 70 super foods in Shakeology. 

*Sacha Inchi*

This is a nut found in the Amazon Rainforest on the eastern slope of the lower Andes and it has been cultivated there for around 3,000 years!!

This nut is high in omega 3 fatty acids, omega 6 and 9 acids and protein. One of the special things about this nut is that is easily digested so your body can utilize all of the nutrients easier without causing gas or irritation. The Sacha Inchi has far more omega 3 fatty acids than olive, soy, sunflower OR flax seeds!! That is pretty amazing!!

Health Benefits:
✔️Improves your cardiovascular health
✔️ Helps to lower cholesterol levels
✔️Boosts brain function
✔️ Eases joint Stiffness
✔️ Helps maintain healthy glucose levels
✔️Supports skin and hair
✔️Relieves inflammation throughout body
✔️Supports eye and optimal vision

The health benefits of the Sacha Inchi nut is amazing! It has definitely proved to be an asset to the Shakeology super foods line up!

3 Day Refresh Review

3 Day Refresh Review

When the 3 Day Refresh came out, I was so excited to try it! Not because I really needed to lose any weight but because I felt yucky. You know that feeling. Weighed down and bloated what seemed like all the time. It wasn't my idea of feeling healthy. I had stuck to a pretty clean eating diet but for a few days before the Refresh I had definitely taken a tumble off the bandwagon and needed help. This was my answer! 

Day One:

Day one went pretty well! I wasn't starving all day like I had anticipated so that was a HUGE plus in my book! It was nice being able to actually eat food and not just liquid. My morning started off with a tall glass of water followed by a Shakeology. Pretty normal routine for me. I didn't put the usual almond milk in my Shakeology so that was a bit different but I still liked the flavor with just water. 

Okay so I'm going to keep it real with you guys.... there were some things that royally sucked about day one. First, I missed my creamer in my coffee. It was probably the hardest thing about day one. I am NOT a black coffee girl. I like my coffee with So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer and lets just say I wasn't too thrilled without it. I also had some serious cravings (carbs and chocolate)! It also made me realize how much I pick at food all day and that I need to tighten up on my meal planning. 

Overall day one really wasn't too awful. I knew what I was getting myself into and I fought the cravings. It was a very eye opening experience because now I will know what to look for in the future! 

Day Two:

The start of day two I was feeling great. I had woken up that morning feeling rejuvenated and the weighed down feeling had started to lift a tiny bit. Here is a picture of me enjoying my chocolate Shakeology breakfast with 1/2 a banana and 10 ounces of water! YUM!!

During the day I noticed less cravings and it was much easier to stick to the Refresh eating plan. I didn't feel like I was missing anything PLUS the dinner recipe I made from the program was delicious! I still use it to this day as a side!

Day Three:

This was the BEST day of the Refresh. My body had adjusted to the eating plan and was starting to really feel great. I no longer felt weighed down or bloated. My stomach was noticeably flatted from when I started and I was actually loving the simplicity of the meal plan. 

My RESULTS!

First let me tell you, I really loved the Refresh! It definitely put me back on the right track for clean eating. I noticed how much I love to snack and pick at foods all day. Having the Refresh schedule your eating to every 1-2 hours really helped me to control it and up my water intake. By the third day it was easy to follow the schedule and I didn't feel starved or hungry either. One major plus of the Refresh is that you do actually get food so it is NOT an all liquid diet.

Like I said previously before the Refresh I felt so bloated and weighed down. This was the main reason for me wanting to do it. I started out with my stomach puffed out and feeling really yucky. About the second day I started to feel better and noticed a huge change in how my stomach looked and felt. This continued until the end.

Even though the scale did say I lost 2-3 pounds, I am most excited about how I feel after the Refresh. It has kicked started my journey to a stricter clean eating lifestyle and I am so pleased with how good I feel.

Baked Chicken and Veggie Sauté

I LOVE summer squash and zucchini but I never know how to cook it. It doesn't help that the hubby isn't a fan nor are my kids but I was determined to find, or create, a recipe that everyone would like! I came up with this fast, easy and tasty meal that sticks to my clean eating lifestyle!

First things first. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees so you can get the chicken cooking while you prepare the rest of the meal. I bake my chicken in a casserole dish that is lightly greased (I hate scraping chicken off the bottom of the pan!) for about 20-25 minutes, depending on thickness, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. I lay each chicken breast in the casserole dish and lightly sprinkle with seasonings. I use black pepper, salt, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder on mine. You can do whatever you like :) 

In a skillet put 1T coconut oil and heat on medium/high heat. While oil is heating up, slice the summer squash, zucchini, and red onion.

Once the oil is heated, add the summer squash, zucchini and onion to the pan, Let the veggies cook until desired tenderness. I cooked them about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add the chopped garlic and stir to combine, cooking just a few minutes. Then add the spinach and cook an additional 5 or so minutes until the spinach is cooked. This is where you may need to add some additional oil so you don't burn the veggies! I add some freshly ground pepper to the veggies and mix to combine.

At this point, I pull the skillet off the burner and let it rest until the chicken is finished! Then I just pile everything on a plate and call it good! Fast, easy, simple and its hubby approved and kid friendly!

Baked Chicken and Veggie Sauté

2 chicken breasts

1 summer squash, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

1/2 small red onion, sliced

2 tsp. garlic, chopped

2 cups baby spinach

1-2T coconut oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season and bake chicken for 20-25 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

2. Heat 1T coconut oil in skillet. Add summer squash, zucchini, and red onion and cook for about 10 minutes.

3. Add garlic and spinach to veggies. Mix to combine. Season with black pepper.

4. Cook until spinach is done, about 5 minutes.

Enjoy!!