21 Day Fix - Day 3

The hardest part of this challenge has been giving up my one bad food item. I absolutly love the international coffee creamer.  I know, I know. Can we say chemical s&@t storm!? But it tastes so good and I enjoy one cup of coffee each morning with this "creamer" that we affectionately call gunk. We have given it up for this as clearly it is one of the few items that is listed on the absolutly not list!

I am learning to appreciate coffee with a splash of almond milk. It's honestly not too bad.

Other then my coffee, the rest of the day was great!

Especially dinner. Buffalo style stuffed yam. I thought it was a super bizarre combination of ingredients. I'm not usually overly creative but I am really enjoying playing around with the different food combinations.

It was delicious! Jeff loved it and M ate it too, minues the hot sauce!

1.5 red, 1 yellow, 1 spoon serving and 1 green! I'm getting the hang of this container system!

(Baked chicken, baked yam, plain Greek yogurt and hot sauce with a side of grilled zucchini).

21 Day Fix - Day 2

I think I am in love with this program. So funny as I was probably one of the biggest skeptics out there. I don't deal well with restrictive diets, and this isn't restrictive at all. It's amazing and EASY! Yes, it takes prep and some learning but both Jeff and I stood on the scale today, just out of curiosity and we have both lost three pounds!!!! What you need to understand is this:

⭕️ we are eating more than normal (especially me)

⭕️ we are drinking way more water then normal too

So this is crazy! It's not weight loss from water loss. I'm not hungry at all and have been loving the workouts too.

Dinner tonight was so delicious and was even kid approved!!! We all had the same dinner of appropriate sizes as our needs are all a little different.

Oh, yes, this was good!!!

21 Day Fix - Day 1

My husband and I officially started the 21 day fix today. It was a pretty good day.

My first realization this morning as I started prepping food was, wow, do I ever under eat. No wonder my body is holding on to the padding!!!

We eat pretty well as is, but I am quickly seeing where we make our mistakes. I am so excited to see where we end up at the end of this round. I already know we will complete another 21 days after this.

It's funny that I am actually saying this. I was very reluctant to give this program an honest try before. It seemed to overwhelm me. It must have been mindset, as it's actually pretty easy to follow along! 

I have been busy planning recipes that use the containers to measure. That makes things crazy easy! I can't wait to share these with you!

I just finished prepping lunches for tomorrow. I make Jeff a lunch almost every day for work and it's always the same variation of things. This has opened up a whole new world of items that I can send with him for lunch (and they don't need to be heated up!). I am pumped.

Our baby is finishing having her night time snuggle with me as I type this, then, she will be off to bed for the night, her big sister will follow shortly and then Jeff and I will get our workouts in. What ever works, right?

Day one = total success!!!

Chicken Curry

Red curry paste and coconut milk give chicken tons of flavor in this belly-warming dish.

Total Time:​ 25 min.
Prep Time:​​​ 10 min.
Cooking Time:​ 15 min.
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 tsp. coconut oil
1  medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-inch slice fresh ginger, peeled, chopped
1  tsp. red curry paste
1 Tbsp. tomato paste, no sugar added
1 lb.​​​​ raw chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup lite canned coconut milk
½ cup water
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 tsp. Thai fish sauce (optional)
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro (optional)
1½ tsp. palm sugar

Preparation:
1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
3. Add garlic and ginger; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
4. Add curry paste and tomato paste; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.
5. Add chicken; cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until it’s coated in paste.
6. Add coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low; gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
7. Add tomato, fish sauce (if desired), cilantro (if desired), and sugar; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Tip: Thai fish sauce is called nam pla. It can be purchased online or in an Asian market.

MONDAY brings big changes for me

It's been a frustrating journey. After my second csection I waited the recommended six weeks to heal. Then I felt pretty good so I started going for walks and then I slowly added in some at home exercise workouts. They felt great but then I got injured and have been dealing with upper back issues. While dealing with this I enjoyed WAY TOO MUCH of the good food and drink over the holidays and now I am brutally aware that I need to make some changes.

This is not about being skinny, or even looking good. This is about feeling good. I am doing this for me. It's time to feel comfortable in my own skin again.

I have good motivation to keep going as well. I have two beautiful girls that I want to grow up strong and independent. I want them to know that it's ok to make time for themselves and to look after the,selves. The only way I can garuntee this is to show them how.

I am mentally ready for Monday.

Here is my motivation:

After the Holidays = Reality Time

I love the holidays. I love being together with family and friends. Visiting, late nights, great food and of course some wine....but now that January has arrived so has the honest assessment.

Let me be clear about something. Leading into the holidays I was no where near being in great shape. I was working on it BUT I had a 4 month old baby and was recovering from my second csection. I still had a long way to go. I was ok with that. I still am. What I didn't expect was how far back the holidays would set me. I expected no progress but I literally went backwards.

While I have moments of being disappointed, I am also oddly ok with it. I had a fantastic time. It was one of my most memorable Christmases. We got to share and experience so much with our girls.

Now I have a plan:

I have a 21 day fix group starting next week that I am pumped about.

There are some amazing ladies in this group that will be joining me in hitting our exercise and clean eating goals. I am looking forward, with excitement to supporting each other through the next 21 days. 

I plan to share my journey with you. The good, the bad and the ugly. I know I will have some bad days but I am so ready to get things back on track and start to really feel good. I love the increased energy that comes from exercising. I can't wait to share that extra energy with my family.

Bring on the New Year and this new challenge. For me, I know this will lead to more enjoyment in my life.

Gingerbread Granola

This seasonal recipe for gingerbread granola is perfect if you want a little treat. It’s especially good on top of yogurt. Just 58 calories.

Total Time: 1 hr. 10 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 55 min.
Yield: 30 servings, 2 Tbsp. each

Ingredients:

2½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup slivered almonds
1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
¼ cup molasses
3 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil
½ cup unsweetened applesauce

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. Line baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Combine oats, almonds, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Set aside.
4. Combine molasses, oil, and applesauce in a small saucepan; cook, over low heat, stirring continuously, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until oil has melted.
5. Pour molasses mixture over oat mixture; mix until oats are evenly coated.
6. Place on prepared baking pan; spread evenly in a thin layer.
7. Bake for 50 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, or until granola is light golden brown and crisp.
8. Cool granola completely (it will get more crisp as it cools).
9. Store in an airtight container.