Staying On Track

I am no stranger to the portion controlled container system. Actually, I have been using it since March 2015 and I pretty much know my portions like the back of my hand now BUT when I am really focusing and honed in on reaching specific goals, I track...EVERYTHING.  This is the first time I have ever stuck to a way of eating, it is amazing what this system truly does. It taught me a lifestyle and changed our eating habits for the better. 

The first thing I do is meal plan using a spreadsheet my husband created for me. All I have to do is fill in the amount of containers from each food group I am allowed each day, it can vary based on the program or if I am trying to lose or maintain. Then add my meals and boom, it does the math for me. 

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This is an an example from over a year ago when I started my journey with 21 Day Fix but I still use this spreadsheet to this day.

Once I have my meal figured out, I make my grocery list and get to work. First I shop, then I prep. Prepping has changed for me over the past year and a half. And it is definitely something that looks different for everyone based on their needs, goals, schedule, etc.  When we first started this journey, we prepped EVERYTHING for the entire week. Roasted veggies, meats, etc. And not just lunches but a lot of our dinners too.   Now that we have figured out our groove and what works best for us, I only plan and prep for about 3-4 days at a time.  I have learned that if I plan for Saturday on Monday, that sometimes what I want on Saturday isn't what I had planned then I would end up going out to eat or splurging...so breaking up my week helps me to stay on track. 

I also don't do a bunch of veggies in advance anymore. We typically each have one salad a day in our house that makes up for the bulk of our greens and then we have another veggie with our other main meal. 

Also, since I am home, I have been cooking a lot of our dinners fresh versus prepping them. I don't do this every night, it varies depending on our schedule or what I have sitting in the freezer ready to heat and eat.

For example, Aaron traveled this week so I made sure to prep enough that I wouldn't have to do a ton of cooking each night for dinner.  Especially since we had something on the calendar every night this week. I knew I would need food ready to go or I would end up feeding the kids (and possibly myself) crap from a drive-thru. Instead, we all had healthy meals each night, even Mason ate what I ate, except his protein usually ended up in a whole grain quesadilla but that it not something you will hear me complain about! Yep...he is like the Gump of Quesadillas, "turkey meatball quesadilla, taco meat quesadilla, turkey chili quesadilla..." But he is eating what I am eating and that my friends is a WIN!

During the week, I also keep track of what I eat each day.  There are a lot of ways to do this and I switch between methods but I think my most favorite is the new tally sheet I am using.  I print it off, stick it in a sheet protector and mark off my containers as I eat them.  Then at night, I wipe it off and start again the next day. 

There are Fix apps, even a tally sheet where you can print and keep track of 7 days at a time but I got tired of printing all of that paper so this new method is definitely an ink and paper saver which makes me happy! Not only that, but when I take the time EACH DAY to track what I am eating, I eat WAY better.  There is a reason trainers or nutritionists tell people to keep a food journal.  It is important to track what we put into our mouths each day, even if it is a bite of the kids food. It makes us more aware of our eating habits, the mindful and not so mindful ones. 
 

If you want a copy of this tally sheet or want help getting set up with a program that can help you learn healthier eating habits, comment below! 

Taco Stuffed Peppers

I am so sick of ground turkey, not gonna lie. Turkey sometimes tastes way too much, like, well TURKEY. And it gets old....

I will still eat turkey on Thanksgiving....that is a totally different concept. 

I had made taco stuffed peppers before but not with this exact recipe or with beef and if I do say so myself, this one is way tastier! ;) 

What You Need (Serves 2 people): 

1 lb lean ground beef (96/4)
2 red (or green) bell peppers
1 c cooked brown rice
1 can of rotel (not drained) 
1 tbsp southwest seasoning
4 tbsp shredded cheese

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Slice the tops off of the bell peppers, then cut them in 1/2 (see pic) and remove seeds.
3. Place them in a baking dish with a tiny bit of water in the bottom. Cover them with foil and place into the oven for about 15 minutes. 
4. While those are baking, dice up the tops of the peppers.
5. Place diced peppers and ground beef in a skillet until meat is browned. 
6. While meat is cooking, heat up your rice (if you are lazy like me and use the precooked microwaved kind).
7. Once meat is cooked, add in 1 tbsp southwest seasoning and can of rotel. Simmer for 5 minutes. 
8. Combine 1/2 cup rice and 3/4 cup meat mixture, 2 times. I keep the 2 combined mixture in two different bowls because if you do the Fix, those are your portions for each person.  

You will also have extra taco meat, I used that for leftovers for myself or quesadillas for the kids! 

9. Stuff each pepper with the mixture, then set aside the extra for each person.
10. Once peppers are stuffed, cover the dish with foil and place back into oven at 350 degrees for another 15 minutes.
11. Take peppers out, top each 1/2 with 1tbsp cheese and place back into the oven, uncovered until cheese is melted.
12. Serve with extra meat and rice mixture. Enjoy! 
 

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For my Fix Family: 1.5 Green, 1 Red, 1 Yellow, 1/2 Blue

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Southwest Seasoning
2 tbsp chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt

Mix all the seasonings together and put in a sealed container, it should make enough to have some left for other recipes! It is really great on anything, I use it in my burgers too! 

Crock Pot Flank Steak Fajitas - Fix Approved!

Would you believe I had never cooked flank steak in the crock pot before? I even texted my mom to ask her if that is something people do...then I remembered this little thing called GOOGLE and I ended up finding cooking times online and decided to go for it! It turned out soooo good, way better than the chewy mess it is when I grill it. :)

What You Need (Feeds 2):
1 lb Flank Steak
2 Bell Peppers (1 green and 1 red are my preference), sliced
1/2 Onion, sliced
2 Tomatoes on the Vine, cut into 6 wedges
1 TBSP + 2 tsp Southwest Seasoning (see below) 
 

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Mmm...those tomatoes were my fav.

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With 4 hours left, I started throwing in my veggies.

Preparation: 
1. Rub both sides of the Flank Steak with 1 TBSP Southwest Seasoning.
2. Place in crockpot and set on LOW for 8 hours. (No cooking liquid is needed, it will make its own juices)
3. Mix your veggies with the remaining seasoning, set aside in fridge for later. When there are about 4 hours left, throw in your veggies.  (If you will not be home, it is ok to put them in on step 2.)
4. Shred the steak and serve with your favorite fajita toppings!  
 

Again, this fed two of us, next time, I will get a larger piece of meat because it shrunk up A LOT in the crock pot. 

I had 3/4 cup steak, 1 cup of fajita veggies on 2 corn tortillas with a tbsp of cheese.  That is 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow & 1/4 blue for my Fix family.

I had a side salad as well and topped it with my extra meat (that didn't fit on my tortillas), a little cheese, avocado and my favorite Bolthouse Yogurt Ranch. 

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Southwest Seasoning

2 tbsp chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt

Mix all the seasonings together and put in a sealed container, it should make enough to have some left for other recipes! It is really great on anything, I use it in my burgers too! 

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

What you need (4 servings): 

1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup hot chili sauce, I used Frank's Red Hot
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cups whole wheat panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoon reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese (Additional for topping) 
Head of romaine lettuce (for lettuce wrapped burgers)
Tomato slices (topping) 

Preparation: 

1. In a large bowl, mix hot sauce, garlic powder, salt and water. Add ground turkey and panko, mix well. Add in cheese. Mix again. 

2. Divide meat into 4 even patties. 

3. Heat a skillet or your grill over medium-high heat, and spray with cooking spray. Add patties and cook until done. You can add a another tbsp of shredded cheddar to the top once cooked if you like. 

4. Top with a tomato slice and wrap in romaine (optional). 

I had mine with a side salad! It was perfect! Actually, I am about to go heat up my leftover burger for dinner...just talking about it on this post makes me excited for dinner! 

For my Fix family: 1 red, 1/2 yellow , 1 blue

4 More Days!

Only 4 sleeps stand between me and Coach Summit! I am SO excited.  When I signed up to become a coach last year, our decision to go to Summit was last minute and I am so glad I went! 

I have never been apart of something so amazing before. The feeling you get from day 1 at Opening Ceremony until you walk out of Closing Ceremony on day 3...it is an unbelievable high that I just can't explain. 

It is a huge celebration with 25,000 other coaches who all want to be better people, both mentally and physically. Who all want to help others achieve goals in their health and fitness journey and who all support each other, whether they are there as a top coach, a brand new coach or just someone who wanted to come tag along with a coach friend.  We get to spend two days learning from top coaches and guest speakers.  Then there are exclusive parties at night for anyone who has earned them. Last year, in my short time as a coach, I earned the Success Club party and got to dance it out all night long front row with LoCash (and my husband too). It was unbelievable. This year, I earned us a spot at the Billy Idol Success Club concert, which is 80's themed, I just finished getting my outfit together today! So definitely check back for pictures on that!  

Anyways, my mind was BLOWN last year at this event, there was lots of learning, smiling, laughing and even crying. I had no idea what to expect going into it but I knew from following my coach, now sponsor, attend in Vegas the previous year that it was something I wasn't going to miss. Luckily, I have one of those rare husband breeds that supports me, my crazy last minute ideas and my business so he was game when I brought up the idea of going 3 shorts months before it was taking place. 

I am so glad he went with me too, so many people don't understand the importance of having a supportive spouse when you have your own business...they need to understand what you are trying to achieve and what the company is all about.  He left there last year beyond impressed with the company, their vision, the CEO and his passion for what he does and was just as excited as I was about being apart of it all. 

So, the fact that we are going back again, together, makes me happy. I also have one of my coaches attending with me this year too which is super exciting! We will miss the rest of Elite Nation but I know they will be there next year with us! 

So a little backstory, this isn't the first time I have tried direct marketing since I met Aaron. After I graduated college (many many years ago), I attempted to sell candles and home decor, I felt so uncomfortable going into people's homes and hosting parties. It never felt natural. And I hated having to pack up and go work for 3-4 hours in the evening once Aaron was finally off work. Don't get me wrong, I was a rockstar the first 3 months in the business (thank you family and close friends) but then my circle faded and my business did too. 

So when I decided to sign up as a coach, I was scared. I had all these fears about this business based on my past "direct marketing" experience. But I had a feeling deep down this was going to be different.  And it was/is different. This company makes sure their coaches understand their mission and they give us what we need, however it is up to us to use those tools and make our business successful. After all, you can have all the tools in the world but if you don't put them to use, how can you expect anything to come of it?!  So yeah, success is never guaranteed to anyone, you have to work for it folks. 

First of all, one of the things I love about my business that I feel differentiates it from others is that I am not here to hunt you down and sell you something, I am simply sharing my journey. I am sharing what I love, these products, these programs and how I get to help others achieve amazing results every single day.  I get to know people, their goals and then we pick the path that is right for them! I don't have to show up at your house with a suitcase that smells like a mix of flowers and fruity scents to tell you all about how our candles are different from the competitors. Instead, I get to help you in a way that matters. I get to help you feel more confident. I get to you achieve goals or get over plateaus.  I get to help you fall in love with a new lifestyle that includes exercise and proper nutrition (while still enjoying yourself in moderation, of course). And that, to me, is way more rewarding than telling you spend $150 on a centerpiece with some candles. Instead, in my business, YOU are the centerpiece damn it! And you deserve to invest in YOURSELF. 

This company has not only helped me physically get my shit together but mentally as well. I have grown so much as a person over the past year...I feel like sometimes I needed this business opportunity more than it needed me, ya know?! We were definitely meant to be. ;) 

Bottom line...did I think when I signed up 16 months ago that I would find success in this business based on my past failures? Not really. Like I said, I was scared, I had my doubts but I learned to overcome those pesky fears and put them aside so I can focus on helping other people every single month achieve whatever it is they are wanting to achieve, whether it is to lose 5 pounds or 100 pounds...I get to support them on their journey.  

Not only that but I get to mentor my own team of coaches who are helping other people lead healthier lives.  Most of these amazing coaches on my team were once challengers in my own accountability groups who have decided that they too, love the programs and products and want to pay it forward. Together, we are multi level helpers (MLH), as Carl, the CEO, put it last year.  

I really just can't wait to be at Summit next week so I can learn more for my challengers, for my team and for myself and this business. If we are friends on Facebook, stay tuned next week, I will be going live as often as I can with what I am learning about, any new programs or products that may be coming out and other fun stuff! And if we aren't friends on Facebook, why not?! Come find me! 

I have included a video from last years experience that I hope you enjoy watching as much as I enjoyed putting it together. <3

If you have questions about my challenge groups and becoming one of my customers or if you think coaching is for you, please don't be scared to contact me, I am here to answer questions and help with whatever I can! Plus, I would love to have you at Summit with me next year.