Stop and Think

It's pictures like these that make me stop and think about how far I've come since I started this journey almost a year ago.

I've learned that--

* the negative comments about yourself are more detrimental than anything.

* confidence doesn't come from what size you are or aren't. It comes from accepting yourself and truly loving the person you are, inside and out.

*feeling happy and healthy are priceless.

*being around by 1 person who genuinely cares about you is better than being around 10 who have no clue who you are.

*exercising is the best stress reliever and mood booster ever

*good food= happy body

*healthy comes in different sizes

 

The picture on the left is of the 15 year old me. The picture on the right was taken today. The difference between these two pictures goes way deeper than just what you can see.

In high school and pretty much most of my adult life I struggled with my weight and how I looked. I would often compare myself to my peers and always ended up feeling worse about who I was. My confidence was at an all time low and I let negative thoughts about myself consume my life.

Now I feel happy and healthy. Im stronger both mentally and physically because of the things I've done over the past 11 months. I've found my confidence and now when those negative thoughts creep in I quickly hush them with positive affirmations. I am not ashamed of my body. I am proud of what I have been able to achieve after having three babies.

What happened that prompted this change? Beachbody. I can say without a doubt that through the support, accountability and love I've received I was able to pick myself up and better myself as a person. Inside and out I am changing and it's been an amazing journey.

 

Spinach Chicken Burgers

Burgers. I love burgers. They are amazing and so easy. There are so many ways to make them that it's never ending what you can create!! 

Here is a recipe I modified from Sole for the Soul. The best thing about these is that you can make them ahead of time and just reheat them throughout the week. They don't really need buns either!! This are chuck full of flavor, very juicy and oh so yummy! 

Spinach Chicken Burgers

*1 pound ground chicken

*1 cup wilted spinach (I just tossed from fresh spinach in a bowl, added some water, covered it and microwaved it for 20 seconds!)

*1/2 of a small yellow onion roughly chopped

*1 garlic clove or 1tsp chopped garlic

*2 green onions roughly chopped 

*2T balsamic vinegar 

*2 tsp. Soy sauce

*1 tsp. Lemon juice (fresh!)

*1/2 tsp. Chili powder

*1/2- 1 tsp. Black pepper (you can change this to for your taste!) 

* 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar (I did not add this to mine!)

*1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

Directions:

1. In a small bowl mix together the vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice and chili powder. Set aside.

2. In a food processor add the spinach, onion, garlic and green onion. Mix until well combined and all the big pieces of onion are gone. 

3. In a big bowl put the chicken and add the spinach mixture. Combine well. (This is where you would add the cheese if using)

4. Add the vinegar mixture into the chicken, mix to combine. 

5. Next add the panko bread crumbs and pepper. Stir just until well distributed. 

6. Make four burger patties (to do this easily I form one big ball and pat it out a little. Then I score it in a + with my hand. This will give you 4 even patties!). Place patties on a plate, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or so. This will give time for all the flavors to blend! 

***When you are ready to cook preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grab a rimmed cookie sheet and a skillet. Heat a skillet to medium-high and add 1tsp. oil (I used coconut, olive oil would be good too!). If you need to do two batches add some more oil for the second batch! Brown each patty on both sides and place on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165!!***

I hope you love these burgers as much as my family did!! I had mine with sautéed mushrooms and mustard with a side of steamed zucchini, no bun or cheese needed!! 

Id love to hear your opinion on these and as always, feel free to share!! 

Easter Sunday!!

This holiday we decided to stay home and relax. We had nothing prepared, other than the Easter baskets of course, and I was planning on just making a simple chicken dish for dinner. Nothing fancy but sometimes all that matters is that you are with family. 

Our dinner was very simple. I chopped up some veggies and chicken, threw them into a casserole dish, seasoned it and drizzled with some chicken broth and white wine then into the oven to roast. Seriously that simple. It's clean eating made easy without having to clean tons of dishes or think ahead too much. You could really use any veggies you have on hand! 

Here's the recipe:

Simple Chicken and Veggie Roast 

2 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces

3 medium red potatoes cut into bit sized pieces

1 cup tomatoes chopped (I used grape and just halved them)

1/2 a bunch of asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 of a yellow onion roughly chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tsp. basil (I used dried but fresh would be great too)

2 tsp. white wine

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Get out your chicken and season with salt and pepper; set aside.

3. Grab your casserole dish and spray it so nothing will stick

4. Put all the chopped vegetables into the dish. I did layers starting with the potatoes, then asparagus and onions finishing with the tomatoes.

5. Next add the chicken around the top of the veggies. 

6. In a small cup or bowl mix the broth and wine together. Drizzle over casserole.

7. Cook for about 45 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through. (Half way I took the casserole out and gave it a good stir.)

If you try this recipe I would love to know how you like it!!! Come back and post a comment and by all means SHARE this with family and friends ;)

Happy (late) Easter from our family to yours!! 

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Bananas and chocolate are a match made in heaven so when we had a few too ripe bananas I was instantly wanting muffins! The problem with most muffin recipes is that they are filled with flour, oil, sugar and butter. I came across this recipe from Running with Spoons and decided to give it a try. Not going to lie, the greek yogurt in them scared me but I went for it anyways!! 

They came out GREAT!!! The muffins were moist and not overly sweet. The banana flavor came through nicely and even the kids liked them :) 

Here is the recipe! 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins 

2 ripe bananas

1 cup plain greek yogurt

2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned or quick)

2 eggs

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Baking soda

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (mini or regular) 

1. Get out your muffin tin and SPRAY the cups. Spray the cups even if you are using paper ones. The lack of oil in these muffins makes them stick to everything!! I made this mistake. Please spray!!! 

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3. Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If using a blender you may have to stop it and stir it a few times! 

4. Add chocolate chips and stir. 

5. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way and sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top if wanted. 

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until center is completely cooked. 

Enjoy!!!

Max 30 Transformation!

Forgive me, please!? This post is WAY late but better than never right!?

Alright let's chat about Max 30. As you probably already know, or if you don't-now you do, my journey with Beachhbody started with Shaun T's Focus T25. I LOVED this program. So when Mr. T put out another program boosting 30 minute workouts, I was all about trying it. I definitely love Shaun's style and his videos are always challenging and motivating. Max 30 here I come as I anxiously purchased my copy...

I started Max 30 on January 13th and ended March 1st (you see now why I said this post is SO late 😳).

Anyways, I did one 30 day round of the Max 30. It consisted of 5 workouts on a set schedule with Saturday and Sunday being rest days. To put it lightly, this program kicked my behind daily! Unlike T25 you do get mini breaks but believe me, you NEED them. The program uses a measuring system called your Max Out time. This is where you write down when you have to stop following along. The goal is the up your time each week.

In the workouts you are going all out. Hardcore cardio, using your body to lift and work your muscles. It may not sound like much but after doing burpees or pushups, you will understand why it works! This program uses a tabata style of working out which is high intensity movement for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds. You can do anything for 20 seconds they said, its just 20 seconds they said. Well those 20 second intervals where killer and totally upped my fitness game.

Not only are the workouts awesome, but the nutrition plan is even better! This program uses the 21 Day Fix plan so you have exact measurements on how much one serving is. The nutrition guide lays out how to go about figuring out what bracket you fall in. This gives you how many servings per food group you need daily making counting calories non existent and staying on track much easier. In the nutrition book there are tons of recipes and sample meal plans as well. It seriously can't get any easier. 

My Results:

When I began Max 30 I was looking to tone up and increase my endurance for my runs. Throughout the program I noticed that my Max Out time kept climbing. I was no where near being able to complete the entire video without stopping but I was going longer each time. I also noticed that my runs got easier and faster. Big win for me there!! 

Max 30 definitely helped me tone my mid section and legs! I lost 1/2 an inch off my waist, 1 inch off my hips and a 1/2 an inch of each of my thighs. 

Max 30 is definitely a program to use when you want to tone, lose weight and even increase endurance for other activities. I used it to help me train for my 1/2 marathon and it delivered! 

Thinking maybe this program would be right for you!? Drop your email below or message me and we can chat! Id love to help you with your health and fitness goals!! 

Xo

Jaclyn

Happy Monday!!

It's MONDAY again!!! Call me crazy but I'm pretty excited about today>> no I haven't lost my mind 😁!

I woke up today bursting with energy and it only grew when I checked in with my March 16th challenge group. Those ladies are crushing their goals and putting in some serious hard work but having fun while doing it. Our little group has become a community of supporting, caring women many of who have never even met face to face. That's the beauty of challenge groups ❤️!! I am so blessed to have the opportunity to work with them! 

Kicking off today is my new training program!! Double day- cardio and weights!! Plus its supposed to be another beautiful day here in Oklahoma which will be perfect for my run this evening! 

Breakfast this morning was eggs, oatmeal, and a banana!! It was great and totally filling!! 

Have an amazing Monday my friends ❤️

Plan and Prepare Equals Success

Happy Sunday!!! 

Today is my plan and prepare day for the upcoming week but we decided to add something new in too....

We decided to head to the zoo for a little family fun before the weekend ends. I packed up a bunch of snacks and water into our little cooler, loaded everyone in the car and off we went. To fend off all the zoo goodies I made myself and my hubby a shake! It was the perfect sweet, chocolatey goodness to keep my mind off the fried dough and ice cream while we were there!! 

We had a blast!! Our zoo has a few new babies, a gorilla and an elephant, so it was great to see them! My son, who is one by the way, insists that every animal is a "googie" aka dog! He points and yells GOOOGIE at every single animal we pass. It's hilarious and quite entertaining for the people around us as they all laugh. 

It was a perfect outing for our family on such a beautiful day!! 

OKAY-- now for the planning part! Earlier that day I made our meal plan and grocery list so while the kids were napping from a fun time at the zoo- we could hit up the grocery store ;)! No worries, the hubby stayed in the car while I ran in. Much better that way :)! 

Here is the Meal Plan I shopped for this week-

This week also starts a NEW training program Im starting!! Its a hybrid between Body Beast and running made my yours truly :) Im thrilled to start it!!! Ill be using Body Beast to build muscle while running three-four times per week for my cardio and 1/2 marathon training! So exciting and I get the best of both worlds! 

Here is my schedule-

Monday: Chest and Tris / 3.5 mile run

Tuesday: Legs

Wednesday: Back and Bis / 4 mile run

Thursday: Shoulders

Friday: Abs / 1.5 mile run

Saturday: 7+ mile run

Sunday: Rest

I am SO excited to start this and really start to push my body in different ways than before. Before photos have been taken and I'm ready to take you on this journey with me!! 

Xo

Jaclyn