ONE PAN Roasted Chicken and Veggies

Ever just feel at a loss for what to do with chicken breast? They are a staple of healthy diets as a lean protein, but plain chicken breast definitely gets old.

I was scrolling through pinterest trying to find some chicken inspiration that didn’t involve drowning it in cream of chicken soup or frying it in flour and breadcrumbs, and then it hit me: just keep it simple- and simple doesn’t have to mean flavorless.

And I had every ingredient I needed on hand already. I whipped up this delicious, 21-day fix approved dinner in about 20 minutes.

This can be adjusted to suit 1 person or a whole family (just alter the amount of chicken and veggies used) and can be customized to whatever flavor profile you desire (see optional variations below).

Plus, dishes are a breeze afterward because its only ONE PAN! That makes this momma happy!

Fix Portions: 1 red (per chicken breast), 1 green (per veggie selected- you can adjust this to however many you have/need), 1 yellow (optional- count if using potatoes or sweet potatoes), 1 orange (for the salad dressing).

Ingredients

1. 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (per person)
2. Veggies of choice (Suggestions: squash, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, carrots; Red potatoes are good too, but remember these aren’t counted as a veggie on 21-day fix)
3. CLEAN salad dressing (I suggest using one of the dressings in the 21-day fix book or this Bragg brand Vinaigrette is excellent)

Directions

1. Marinate chicken in vinaigrette (at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours… If pressed for time, you can skip this step, but the marinating yields more flavor)
2. Place chicken and veggies in pyrex baking dish
3. Drizzle chicken and veggies with 1 orange container of vinaigrette of choice
4. Bake on 450 for 20-25 minutes (until chicken is cooked through)

Optional Variations

For an asian twist, use the asian citrus vinaigrette recipe in the 21-day fix book and pair with veggies like carrots, broccoli, and zucchini. Would be great served over some brown rice!

Interested in trying the 21-Day Fix for yourself? For more information, please click here or visit www.beachbodycoach.com/melheywardfitness

Clean Chocolate Chip Brownie Muffins

Clean Chocolate Chip Brownie Muffins

So last night I wanted to make cookies, like really really wanted some cookies. But, I had just finished my T25 workout, and didn’t want to undo all that hardwork by the choices I made in the kitchen.

So I did a quick pinterest search for a healthier alternative to satisfy my sweet craving. I stumbled across a recipe for chocolate mini muffins. I adapted the recipe to fit clean eating standards and also because I don’t have mini muffin tins. So, after some adjustments, they became what I’m calling Clean Chocolate Chip Brownie Muffins. We took them to a friends house and they were a hit! Enjoy!

Yield: 1 dozen muffins

Nutrition: Estimated 75 calories/muffin. Clean. No flour. No butter. No oils. No artificial sweeteners.
21-Day Fix Portion: 1 yellow substitute per muffin

Ingredients

• 2 small-medium bananas
• 1 egg
• ½ cup natural peanut butter
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp honey
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• ¼ cup dark chocolate chips, plus a few more to put on top

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips into a blender. Tip: put the egg in first so that the liquid can help it blend more easily. The batter will be thick.
2. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
3. Scoop batter into paper-lined muffin tins- fill about ⅔ full
4. Press about 3-5 additional chocolate chips into the top of each muffin
5. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean
6. Allow to cool briefly before serving (best served warm so the chocolate chips are all melty and delicious, but don’t want you to burn your mouth here)

21 Day Fix, Day 21: RESULTS ARE IN!

Don’t expect to change overnight. Focus on one day at a time, making one small change at a time. Overtime, every day, every small change will add up to big transformation. Don’t give up!

DAY 21 WORKOUT & FOOD

Today I ate oatmeal for breakfast, a turkey wrap for lunch, an apple for a snack, and a salad with tuna for dinner. I, of course, did my yoga fix workout too. But I’m sure y’all don’t care much about today’s details, because its time for the results!!!

PROGRAM RESULTS

Let me just say I cannot believe how much the last three weeks have changed my life. Prior to doing 21-Day Fix, I made one excuse after another to avoid changing my lifestyle habits. “Oh I want to wait until after I finish having kids to get the body I want”… “I don’t have the money to buy a program/shakeology”… “Oh YOLO, so I’m going to eat whatever the heck I want”… But there comes a day when you wake up and say enough is enough with the excuses and commit to making a change. And don’t look back. The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come…

Weight Lost: 13 pounds

Seriously, if someone would have told me I could lose 13 pounds in 3 weeks, I would have jumped on that opportunity right away! And Josh lost 12 pounds! The program is designed for you to lose 10-15 pounds in 3 weeks- I wasn’t sure it was possible heading into it, but we both are proof that it is!

Overall Inches Lost: 11 inches

That includes 4 inches in my waist! Josh lost 11 inches too. We lost inches in every area of our body!

WHAT’S NEXT

This program has shown me that it’s practical to live and eat this way in everyday life. I had this perception that diets get easily broken because life gets in the way. Maybe that’s true with diets, but this isn’t a diet, this is a health program, a lifestyle modification. Life happens. Life goes on. In the past 3 weeks, I’ve gone to parties, gone out-of-town, gone out to dinner, gotten take-out, etc., and haven’t missed a beat with the plan.

Now, I know my future eating won't be perfect- you have to treat yourself every now and then, and you can't beat yourself up for that either, but I truly believe that consistently eating clean and portion control makes a difference- not only yielding "quick fix" results, but helping you maintain a healthy life in the long run.

I hope that by blogging through my journey, someone will be inspired to conquer their personal goals- don't let your excuses or circumstances keep you from experiencing the joy life has to offer. You are stronger than you think- you can do it!

Best wishes to everyone on their journey to health and happiness!

It always seems impossible until it’s done

–Nelson Mandela

21 Day Fix: Week 3 Review

It’s the end of Week 3! Its flown by and as the weeks have progressed, the good definitely outweighs any bad, as you will see in this week’s review:  

THE GOOD

1. Budget. One thing I’ve been really encouraged by in this whole process is that my grocery bill has not increased at all being on this program. I really thought I would have to spend more because I’m buying healthier ingredients. But thankfully that has not been the case. I spent about $75/week on groceries that fed me, Josh, and Anniston. We also do a big Costco trip every 3 months or so and stock up on meats, so almost all the meats I’ve made throughout this program I had stored in my freezer. Still though, I’m really pleased with this. The only thing that had to change was the frequency I go to the grocery store. I used to go every 2 weeks that coincides with our paychecks, but I’ve switched to going every week now that I’m buying fresh produce that has a minimal shelf life. I think the best way to budget for weekly grocery shopping is to take out cash on payday to be reserved for groceries so I can make sure I still have enough money to buy food the second week of our pay period. Working Dave Ramsey’s plan ya know…”cash is king” as he says…
2. Shakeology. I’m one of those people that easily gets tired of a certain food. Like I don’t like to eat leftovers because I just ate that yesterday…you know what I mean? So I’m shocked that I’ve made 3 straight weeks of having shakeology and not complaining about it- honestly not even thinking about having the same thing. I guess it’s because there are so many combinations you can make with shakeology that it mixes it up to satisfy me. I also am really drawn to the simplicity of having this for lunch. I don’t have to plan for a meal, I don’t have to cook/prepare much of anything, just pop everything in the blender and I’m all set. And its superfood nutrition that is better than anything I could cook- fiber, probiotics, protein, etc. Love shakeology!
3. Acne. I have struggled with adult acne. Constantly. It’s so frustrating to still be covering up pimples in my mid-twenties… Being on the 21-Day Fix has cleared my acne- its truly remarkable. Even though I’m sweating every day in my workouts, I’m not breaking out.

THE BAD

Food Cravings. These kicked in hard core this week. Maybe seeing the light at the end of the tunnel made me think more of food I could eat at the end of it if I wanted. But to be honest, I want to achieve my goals more than I want to eat certain foods. The satisfaction of success lasts much longer than the temporary taste on your tongue.

OTHER THOUGHTS

In case you are interested in doing the 21-Day Fix yourself (and if you are, please let me know- I will get you all hooked up), I have compiled a Top 10 list of grocery items to stock up on. These are must haves to survive this 3 week program. I suggest buying in bulk at Costco (or Sams) if you have a membership there:

1. Eggs and Egg Whites- I could get 3 red servings per small carton of egg whites. Costco has a 6-pack of egg white cartons that I’m so glad I purchased. I think we also used about 5-6 dozen eggs too
2. Mustards- Mustards are a FREE food so make sure you have them on hand- I had yellow, deli, and djion mustard
3. Vinegars- Another free food! Whoop whoop. Balsamic and Red Wine Vinegar go a long way!
4. Extra Virgin Olive Oil- You will use this for all cooking (the super-practical 2 teaspoons a day, lol) as well as making salad dressings (orange containers)
5. Meats- Chicken Breasts, Ground Turkey, and Pork Loin can all be bought in bulk and work great with this plan.
6. Garlic Powder- I used this in almost everything I cooked. Good thing its only like $1!
7. Ziplocs- Buy stock in these! Remember you only have 1 set of containers. And almost every container gets used more than once per day, especially if you are doing this with a buddy. I used the containers more or less as measuring cups when chopping and prepping, then transferred everything into Ziploc bags for the rest of the week. We probably went through 200 in 3 weeks.
8. Natural Peanut Butter- Great on toast, celery, in shakeology, etc.
9. Frozen Strawberries- Put a couple of these in your water everyday for a fruit-infused refreshment
10. Variety of Produce- Emphasis on variety. You don’t want to feel like you’re stuck in a rut and restricted to only carrots. Having a variety of fruits and vegetables allows you to mix up your meals every day. And its extra helpful when you are pressed to find a dinner recipe at the last minute to have a variety of vegetables to choose from. Remember you can split your green containers into different vegetables. For example, you can fill 1 green container with mushrooms, onions, peppers, etc. Same goes for fruit. Having different fruit options also contributes to your daily Shakeology variety.

21 Day Fix: Day 20, One More Day!

There is only one way to succeed at anything, and that is to give it everything.

DAY 20 WORKOUT: DIRTY 30

Three weeks ago when I did this workout for the first time, I couldn’t lift my body up to a side plank. Today, I not only lifted up to side plank, but did leg raises with it, and held it for 30 seconds each side… This whole process over the past 20 days has been about progress. Each day I can recognize something that encourages me to see how far I’ve come in such little time!

DAY 20 FOOD

Usual breakfast again: spinach, egg whites, ½ blue container feta, and ½ whole wheat English muffin… I just love that breakfast! I was talking to a girl today who had never tried feta cheese (I know!) so I told her about my breakfast- it’s a winner for sure!

Well, my shakeology is gone. We got a 30-day supply with the 21 Day Fix program, and Josh and I were able to share that for just about 20 days (so we got 40 servings out of a 30 serving bag). Beachbody enrolls you in monthly auto-ship for Shakeology when you buy a program, but I cancelled the auto-ship a few weeks ago because I wanted to switch my flavor to vanilla. Little did I know, I could have just called and changed my flavor instead of cancelling my auto-ship, running out, and subsequently having to place a new order (which I set-up on auto-ship for the future so I don’t run out. That’s the best way to go too because you cut your shipping costs from $14 to $2)… Anyways, I’m now anxiously waiting on my vanilla shakeology to arrive in the mail- I’m excited to try a different flavor… Hope it comes soon. It made me sad not having shakeology today.

To cheer me up from missing shakeology, I made a greek wrap like what I made the other night for dinner- I just used low sodium, low fat deli turkey instead of chicken- yummy yummy!

For dinner, we grilled out. Finally warm enough and feeling like Spring! We made grilled Cajun chicken and shrimp with grilled sweet peppers. I made homemade Cajun seasoning (because my prepackaged stuff is loaded with salt) for the chicken, and for the shrimp I made this marinade sauce I found on pinterest. I sautéed finely chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic, then added 1 cup of tomato juice, a splash of lemon juice, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. I poured this over the raw shrimp and wrapped that in a little foil pouch and Josh cooked that on the grill. It was so good- loved the kick from the cayenne and the rich, bold flavor of the tomato.

For dessert, we had some fruit salad because I haven’t had any fruit today. It was perfect!

OTHER THOUGHTS

You could say that I see the world through color-coded containers now. I really haven’t had to use my awesome chart I made in week 1 at all this week because its just become second nature to me  I am conscious of my portions and what I’m putting into my body. I read ingredient labels at the grocery store like its my job, and have to admit that I have become one of those #cleaneating people lol.

One more day people! Look for both a Week 3 Review and a Results posting tomorrow!!!

21 Day Fix, Day 19: Burger Night and Sharing Shakeology

Difficult doesn’t mean impossible, It simply means you have to work hard.

DAY 19 WORKOUT: TOTAL BODY CARDIO

It was difficult. Every part of my body was hurting and I was completely out-of-breath. I know I’m in better shape than I was 19 days ago when I started this process, but this workout still kills me- but, its not impossible. Its 30 minutes of hard work and its worth it.

Today I had an extra challenge because my dog kept interrupting me. Usually I put her outside when I do my workouts, but its pouring rain so that wasn’t an option. When we did the side sashes (sorry dance term, like skippy things) into squats, my dog tried to participate too, thinking I was playing with her. Then when I laid on the floor to go frog crunches and closed my eyes, she kept licking my face to make sure I was still alive…Sweet puppy, but it made things interesting to say the least.

DAY 19 FOOD

I took Anniston to storytime at the library this morning, so I actually split my breakfast into 2 meals. Before we headed out, I had some mini-wheats (yay cereal!)… I planned to have coffee too, but my half-and-half smelled awful and was starting to curdle, so I poured that spoiled junk down the drain. After the library, I got an iced coffee with a little bit of nonfat milk and 2 raw sugars from Starbucks. I can have 2 raw sugars a day, and usually 2 raw sugars are perfect for a grande or venti, but I ordered a tall, so 2 raw sugars made my drink sweeter than I’m used to. Still a-ok with my Fix plan, but its remarkable how 2 packs of raw sugar can taste so sweet when you have become accustomed to hardly any sweetener in your everyday diet. Anyways, I made a couple fried eggs when I got home to go with my coffee and finish my breakfast…even though that was like at 1pm.

Got Anniston down for a late nap and did my workout. Then had my shakeology late-afternoon. I added banana today- simple and delicious.

Super pumped about dinner. Burger night! I made Rachael Ray’s Southwest Turkey Burgers. Anything Rachael Ray makes is nothing short of amazing, and I was thrilled that I could make these still following my Fix plan. And burgers are perfect for a Friday night! Inside the burgers I put grated onion and garlic, diced jalapeno, poblano, and sweet red peppers, thyme, parsley, cumin, Tabasco, and pepper. I have found the best way to cook burgers is in a cast-iron skillet. Learned that tip from Bobby Flay when he was on Rachael Ray Show- yes better than the grill, which worked great tonight given the rain outside. Anyways, I topped the burgers with turkey bacon, sautéed mushrooms and onions, tomatoes, and reduced fat swiss cheese. We ate them without buns and had roasted butternut squash on the side (it was pretty close to sweet potato fries, but remember, sweet potatoes count as yellow, so butternut squash was the next best thing!). These were so amazing!

OTHER THOUGHTS

Anniston was begging me for my shake (shakeology) today, so I let her try some… She loved it! I’m telling you, shakeology is so awesome!

2 days left guys!!!

21 Day Fix, Day 18: Pinterest Fail and Home Run

When you cheat, you only cheat yourself.

I probably had to remind myself of that at least a dozen times today. Today was my toughest day yet… There was this little voice inside me that kept saying “you’ve done enough… you can have butter on your English muffin…you can put international delight in your coffee…you can take a nap instead of working out…go ahead and throw in the towel and eat what you want”… But there is a bigger voice inside me shouting “NO. You’ve made it 18 days…You have 3 days left… Why give in now? Why cheat now? Do you want to prove you can do this 100% without cheating?”… And thankfully that voice silenced the temptations today, despite the volume of the temptations’ voice…

DAY 18 WORKOUT: PILATES FIX

I had zero motivation today heading into this workout. Along with the conflicting voices in my head, I still am fighting whatever virus/cold crap I got sick with last week…I feel better, but not 100%...still dragging, dealing with sinus congestion, and I lost my voice 3 days ago and its yet to return. Anyways, as it always seems to happen, once I get into the workout I rediscover my sense of motivation and push through it. Today I once again held an elbow plank for 60 seconds and completed the 10 second plank hold intervals…I’m still really struggling with the plank side twists where you hold yourself in an elbow plank and twist and drop your hip to either side- I can only do a couple before falling, lol… always something more to work for.

DAY 18 FOOD

Back to spinach, egg whites, and feta this morning. I only had half a whole wheat English muffin. Really wanted butter, but just ate the English muffin plain and spooned some of my egg whites onto it like an open-faced breakfast sandwich. While I usually eat a whole English muffin, peanut butter, honey, and banana as a breakfast accompaniment, I was saving it for my shakeology and snacks later today

For shakeology, I did chocolate banana. I like how adding the banana not only enriches the flavor of the shake, but also adds more substance. Granted I can only add half a banana to count as 1 purple serving.

For snack, I made this cookie dough greek yogurt I’ve been dying to try. I love cookie dough- I think I like the dough more than baked cookies themselves, so when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I reorganized my daily meal plan to accommodate this treat (looks good in the picture, right?). I used plain, nonfat greek yogurt (1 red), 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 teaspoon chocolate chips (1 yellow substitute). Epic pinterest fail. I was so disappointed. I don’t know what kind of cookie dough the person who made this pin eats, but this tasted nothing like the cookie dough I make. I tasted like peanut butter sour cream with this awkward tang and gaggy sweetness. I scooped out the chocolate chips, dumped those in the trash, and gave the rest to my dog, who seemed to enjoy it much more than I did. Oh well, guess I have extra protein and a carb left for dinner…

Dinner turned into another scramble (today is just not my day). I totally forgot in my meal planning to account for Josh having church band practice tonight and not getting home until like 9 or 10. I don’t know why I forgot to account for this- its not like he doesn’t have band practice every single Thursday night. But anyways, I planned to make a big dinner for us, but he was just going to have shakeology for dinner, so I had to fend for myself. Because of the kind of day today was, my mind immediately went toward what I could go buy at a restaurant for dinner, but instead, I made a better choice and searched for Pinterest recipes. Yes, giving Pinterest another chance after it really left me down with the disgusting yogurt debacle earlier- I was hoping it would redeem itself. And it did!

 

I actually combined 2 Pinterest recipes to make a Greek chicken wrap. I poached some chicken and tossed that in homemade Greek dressing (Pinterest recipe 1: EVOO, red wine vinegar, oregano, basil, garlic and onion powder, and Dijon mustard). I spread the remaining orange container of Greek dressing on a whole wheat tortilla, then added the chicken. Next, I made what is called a Tabbouleh (Pinterest recipe 2). Basically I threw a bunch of vegetables into the food processor (tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, cucumber, zucchini) with some garlic cloves, parsley, and lime juice. It looked almost like a relish in the end. I spread that on top of the chicken and topped with a little feta cheese (I didn’t fill my blue container full of feta this morning with my eggs because I had reach the end of the cheese carton and didn’t want to open a new one this morning- but I surely opened a new one tonight and used up my remaining blue serving). Rolled it all up and I devoured it. It was sooooo good. Probably one of my favorite things I’ve had yet on 21 Day Fix. So, so good!

OTHER THOUGHTS

Well today was tough (until dinner), but whether it’s a good day or bad day, it’s a day to be thankful for—and another day closer to my goal! See you tomorrow… only 3 more days!

21 Day Fix, Day 17: Quesadillas for Dinner!

Instead of looking for 100 reasons to quit, look for 1000 reasons not to give up

DAY 17 WORKOUT: LOWER FIX

So Josh prefers to workout in the basement while I like working out upstairs in the living room. No big deal, except every day we have to transport weights up and down the stairs. This morning I brought up 30 pounds of weights and a yoga mat in one trip- I think that should count as a bonus or something. That “warm-up” set me up well for my lower body fix, which was all good until hours later when my legs were so sore I could hardly walk up or down the stairs carrying nothing.

DAY 17 FOOD

I had a high protein breakfast this morning because I’m saving my carbs for tonight’s dinner. I made 2 fried eggs and 4 slices of turkey bacon (this is 2 red servings). It was a lot of food! I also had some strawberries on the side and coffee of course. I made the eggs and bacon on the big griddle and it reminded me of pancakes…and I love pancakes, so I was slightly depressed that I couldn’t have those for breakfast. I did find a recipe for banana pancakes on Pinterest that are made with banana and oatmeal so I’m going to have to try that out sometime.

For lunch, I made chocolate shakeology with peanut butter and ½ a banana. I think this is one of my favorite combos. Its like eating a Reese’s…well, close enough…

I’ve been looking forward to making this dinner for awhile, especially after last night’s bland soup, if we can call it that. I put pork loin in the crockpot this morning with water, vinegar, chipotle seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and a little bit of honey. Anniston helped put everything in the CrockPot—she’s such a cute little helper in the kitchen! I let that cook for about 7-8 hours until it falls apart. Then I used 1 red container of the meat, 2 whole grain tortillas (2 yellows), and 1 blue container of cheddar cheese to make quesadillas. I usually add some Taco Bell hot sauce but with that not being fix-approved, I substituted it with Cholula Mexican hot sauce. I also made some fresh pico to go alongside it (1 green). These were fabulous! Tip: I always make my quesadillas in the broiler/oven instead of using a skillet. Its super easy. I build the quesadillas on a pizza pan, set the oven broiler to high, and cook on each side for a few minutes. The tortillas crisp perfectly and the cheese melts evenly.

OTHER THOUGHTS

Well for the second week in a row, the grocery store is out of mint leaves. I didn’t realize this was such a high demand item, but anyways, I’ve had to mix up my daily infused water regimen. I’ve now been putting 2 frozen strawberries and 1 lemon wedge in my water bottle in the morning and refilling it throughout the day. Surprisingly, the lemon has not gotten bitter like it does sometimes if you leave it too long in iced tea. Also, after I started making this water concoction, I saw on pinterest that strawberry-lemon water helps improve your digestion and can also work to clear your complexion. That’s a win, win for me!

Also I really want a blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese from Einsteins. Doesn't that sound delicious!I had to find a picture of it on google...

Until tomorrow...

21 Day Fix, Day 16: Pumpkin Coffee & Extra Energy

If you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done

DAY 16 WORKOUT: UPPER BODY FIX

I think this is becoming my favorite workout. I love feeling my muscles quivering when I am challenging myself to push more than ever before. I’ve made so much progress in this workout alone in the past 3 weeks. In Week 1, I did this without any weights. In Week 2, I used 5 pound weights. And today, in Week 3, I used 10 pound weights! So encouraging!

DAY 16 FOOD

Same spinach/feta/egg white breakfast with a whole wheat English muffin that I had yesterday. I could get used to eating that everyday- tastes great and I love how it starts my body off right. I also bought some pumpkin spice k-cups from Dunkin Donuts. Yes, I know its March. But they were on sale for $5.99 (presumably because they have to get rid of the stock leftover from October), and it was a delicious way to jazz up my morning coffee without adding calories or more creamer/sweetener. Also, I drank this Dunkin Donuts coffee in a Starbucks mug...I'm so rebellious.

For lunch I had shakeology with a combination of strawberries, banana, and blackberries for something different. It actually had a really nice flavor! I didn't have my shakeology until like 3pm today- just wasn't hungry. Guess my body has finally adjusted to eating less calories.

For dinner, I made homemade vegetable soup because its cold and cloudy and gray here in Charlotte today… Well, it was until dinner time, when it was actually time to eat the soup and the sun came out... Anyways, I usually put lots of boxed chicken or vegetable stock in my soups, but that clearly is loaded with sodium, so instead, I used a combination between san marzano tomatoes that I mashed and about 3 cups water. For the vegetables, I planned to add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables- easy peasy. But wait, the mixed vegetables were primarily peas, corn, and lima beans. Unfortunately, these are considered a yellow serving for whatever reason and not green. I was out of yellows for the day (breakfast English muffin took them all up) so I had to use fresh vegetables that actually were counted as green. This was more prep than expected- chopping and sautéing vegetables until they were soft and tender, but its ok...I threw in some seasonings and fresh herbs and let it all warm through in the CrockPot until dinner time. While it tasted very fresh, it reminded me of the pasta sauce I made last week for spaghetti, except more watery. And it was just bland. I guess I never realized how much salt goes into something like soup to give it the flavor it needs. Anniston ate a bowl for dinner and seemed to really like it... For me it was just blah- not my favorite meal of the program.

OTHER THOUGHTS

For some reason, I feel like I’ve been more productive since I’ve been on this program.

Maybe its just coincidence, but then again, maybe there’s something more to it. I definitely have more energy than I ever have. I didn’t expect that because thought I was pretty dependent on coke and/or tea to sustain me in the afternoon and evening. Now I just have 1 cup of coffee in the morning and have energy all day long. I really think this is a result of exercising, eating healthy whole foods, and shakeology. This extra energy has helped me tackle more chores around the house during the day and I’ve also seemed to be more engaged and energetic in playing with Anniston. When I started this program I had hoped that making this change would help me be a better wife and mom, and I think that’s coming to fruition!

21 Day Fix, Day 15: Bras & Breakfast Bonus

Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.

I saw this quote on Instagram this morning. So motivational- its Monday, and it’s the start of Week 3! Here we go!

DAY 15 WORKOUT: CARDIO FIX

Today’s workout was one where I collapsed on the floor and loudly rejoiced “THANK THE LORD” when it was done. This workout was a killer—non-stop activity and I’m drenched in sweat. In the moment, I wanted to give up…but I had to choose between what I wanted now (temporary relief) and what I wanted most (to accomplish my goals and improve my health/body), so I pushed through it—pain is temporary, the regret of quitting lasts much longer.

DAY 15 FOOD

For breakfast, I had egg whites, spinach, and feta- again, so much better with the feta than without (like last Thursday). I also had a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter, honey, and slice banana. Almost gave in and put butter on my English muffin, but that would only cheat myself, so I stuck to what I am supposed to eat to fuel my body and have a healthy breakfast.

Now for a breakfast bonus: Because Josh works, he doesn’t obviously have the luxury to make a deluxe breakfast at home like I do. Last week, he had hard-boiled eggs everyday for breakfast, but let’s be real, you can only eat so many hard boiled eggs. He needed something different for breakfast this week. I was trying to think of a way he could get protein, vegetables, and grains so he would have energy to focus on his tasks at work. I discovered this recipe on Pinterest for egg white muffins. It was so easy! Fill muffin trays with vegetables of your choice (I used spinach and red and yellow bell peppers). Sprinkle with pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then pour egg whites over, filling each tray just about to the top. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. You can eat them by themselves, or put them in a whole wheat mini-bagel or English muffin- who doesn’t like a breakfast sandwich? Josh sent me a text this morning saying they were AMAZING. Super easy to make- anyone can seriously make these and they are tasty, healthy, and filling!

Ok back to me now, lol. For lunch, I had shakeology with strawberries. Publix has pints of strawberries 4 for $5 this week… I bought 8 pints- I think the cashier thought I was crazy, but you can’t beat that price! Seriously $1.25 for fresh, ripe strawberries! Same price as a McDouble, but soooo much better for you!

For snack I had cucumber slices and creamy herb dip. Yes, I tried yet another version of the creamy herb dip- I am bound and determined to make this dip work. I tried really hard to mimic ranch dressing, adding fresh dill, chive, and parsley. Something still is missing, but its better than the last two attempts…

For dinner, I made chicken breasts stuffed with ricotta, tomatoes, garlic, and spinach. How did I make it to week 3 without knowing that ricotta (a cheese mind you) counts as a red and not a blue (all other cheeses are blue)?!? Taking full advantage of that tonight to double up my protein. I used part skin ricotta to make it even healthier. I planned to serve it with some sautéed vegetables, but apparently I can’t count and I’ve already had my 3 green servings today (breakfast, snack, and the spinach/tomatoes inside the chicken), so I had to settle for just the chicken. It was still good though!

OTHER THOUGHTS

I went to buy a new bra tonight because after pregnancy, breastfeeding, and now losing weight, my bras were not fitting me at all! Anyways, this was the first time ever I was comfortable with the girl in the dressing room and didn’t feel embarrassed about my stomach/mid-section. It’s the little things people…

Also, get your “fix” of more good and bad in my Week 2 Review post here!

21 Day Fix: Week 2 Review

Wow! We are already two-thirds the way done! I can’t believe we are headed into the final week already!

GOOD

1. Dresses- I bought some new Spring dresses a few weeks before ordering 21-Day Fix. At that time, I was in between a medium and large, but went with the medium. I wore two of those dresses this weekend and they were super loose- wow!
2. Mindset- I am encouraged that my mindset is beginning to change from “will I workout today?” (to which I used to respond NO), to “what workout is on today’s schedule”… This program has truly helped me make new healthy habits and change my life, one day at a time.
3. Shakeology- A friend asked me the other day if I plan to continue shakeology after this. My answer was definitely! Its perfect for my lunch- quick, easy, and takes the guess work out of it. Plus, I feel so much better drinking shakeology than eating pizza rolls.

BAD

1. Digestion- This is been sort of out of whack being on the program. I’m told this is normal because your body is adjusting to eating real food versus processed ingredients. Hopefully it will sort itself out soon.
2. Sweating- The workouts are still tough and my level of sweat increases daily. I hope it’s proportional to the amount of calories burning.

NEUTRAL

1. Physical and Spiritual Challenge: One thing I noticed this week is how refreshing it is top exercise. Not that I’m not dying during the workouts, but I realized that during those 30 minutes, I’m solely focused on what I’m doing. I’m not focused on everything else I have to do, I’m not worried about the stressors of life, rather I’m 100% keen in on accomplishing the given exercise.

As I was thinking about that, I was really challenged to focus on my relationship with Jesus in the same way. I need to daily have quiet time with him that removes all my distractions. Just like in my workout, I need to be solely focused on Him and nothing else. If I can be so refreshed mentally from a workout, how much more mentally and spiritually refreshed can I be by setting my mind and heart on the Lord in this way.

All in all, a great week in the books! Ready to face Week 3!